Your scapulae are the foundation of your shoulder joint. These flat wing-like bones help to anchor your shoulder to your torso. Any exercise where you move your upper arm utilises your scapulae in some way. Any weakness in the 17 different muscles that connect to it will translate into weakness in the movement. They are incredibly mobile bones, tilting and rotating to accommodate the wide range of movement of the shoulder joint.
Here’s a quick test: grab a small straight object like a pen or toothbrush, one in each hand and sit up straight, shoulders relaxed, arms at your sides. Are your objects pointing straight ahead or inwards? If they’re pointing in towards your body, I’m sorry to say you probably have far from optimal scapular function.
Due to us being wheelchair users and our modern lives of hunching over keyboards and mobile phones, this has weakened the muscles in this area, causing poor shoulder mobility and stability. In this article we are going to show you how you can strengthen the surrounding muscles so you keep fit and stay injury-free.
Scapula function is super important for helping to keep the shoulder joint stable and strong. When performing movements underload, working with the other muscles in the area they stop the shoulders from rolling forward which can be an incredibly dangerous position for your shoulders and result in you dropping the weight you could potentially be holding.
There is no way around it – being an active wheelchair user requires strong shoulders and good scapular health. With all the stress we put on them from transfers to daily pushing, weak shoulders will lead to sub-par performances and possibly cause injury.
Poor shoulder position from weak or inactive muscles around the scapulae can stress tendons and ligaments around your shoulder girdle. This stress accumulates slowly, over weeks, months and even years. You may not notice these little micro-injuries as they occur, but eventually, that one final overhead press with poor form could be the final straw that can cause serious damage.
If your scapulae cannot move properly to get into strong positions, other parts of your shoulder such as the rotator cuff will have to try and compensate and move in ways that they are not designed to do. This can result in rotator cuff tears, impingement, bursitis rotator cuff tendonitis/tendinosis and labrum injuries to name a few.
But don’t worry it’s not all doom and gloom. We are here to show you how you can get help to prevent that!
Resistance bands are a useful tool to achieve this aim. Here are some examples of great scapular strengthening exercises that you can use for:
Use a band that provides a moderate resistance and perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps.
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Named after the shape your body and arms make when you perform the exercise. Use a light resistance band for this and perform 10 reps in each position I, T, and Y before resting. Do three sets in total. It is also worth noting that these can be done with light dumbbells while lying face down on a bed.
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Excellent for strengthening scapular retraction. Aim for three sets of 8-12 reps.
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Don’t be put off by the gruesome name. These can be beneficial for shoulder health and mobility.
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Because we are pushing our wheelchairs, we tend not to do a lot of heavy rowing movements (sometimes our disability can get in the way also). Due to this, wheelchair users tend to develop weaker lower and mid traps around the scapula compared to their dominant upper trapezius muscles which are constantly worked from daily life. To balance out your back strength, include barbell or dumbbell rows in your training. Rowing movements are great for your shoulder and scapular health as well as for improving posture.
Also, always be mindful of the position of your scapulae during workouts as it can go a long way to improving their function and save you from injury.
When doing almost any upper body exercise, make sure you are actively pulling your scaps down and back. Soon, this stronger position will become second nature.
Finally, it is important to mention that massage can help to unglue tissues around your scapula. Spending years in bad shoulder positions can cause the muscles to stiffen and knot. To help them activate properly, use a lacrosse ball, tennis ball or ‘peanut’ and place it in the area between your scapulae and spine. Apply some gentle pressure by leaning against a wall or lying on the floor and move the ball up and down this area. Wherever you feel a few lumps or knots, stop and keep the ball in that spot until you feel it start to release. Spend five minutes on the left and then the right side. You will feel like you have a brand-new set of shoulders. If these positions are difficult to get into, seek help from a friend or a professional.
Incorporating these exercises into your training, either as a warm-up or post-exercise accessory work will only take about 30 minutes a week. This will go a long way to making you a stronger individual and keep you bulletproof for years to come.