Audience: Therapists
Pushup plus protracted
Purpose: I like the idea of quantifying the “dosage” of an exercise. We can do this with EMG and this post will be part of a larger theme that catalogues the EMG amplitude of various shoulder rehabilitation exercises. Further, it will also try to justify a number of exercises for their ability to avoid negative loading on the shoulder and promote a possibly optimal way of working the shoulder.
Caveat: This review only looks at a few papers addressing the Upper Traps (UT) to Serratus Anterior (SA) ratio. Other exercises must obviously be incorporated into a rehab program.
Exercises to maximize the Serratus Anterior (SA) to Upper Trapezius (UT) Ratio
To simplify: SA = good, UT = bad. Basically, activation of the SA moves the scapula out of the way of the humerus while too much or too early activation of the UT tends to
pushup plus retracted
anteriorly tilt the scapula and decrease the space for humeral movement. Ann Cools has done extensive work in this area. Here is a taste of her findings and recommendations. You may want to consider using the exercises when you have a little scapular dyskinesis on your hands - you may see some medial border prominence of the scap, some winging during arm elevation and the scap can get a little jiggy with arm raising and lowering. (more…)
Not logged in