The Shoulder Blade
Each month for the next while we’ll take a look at different parts of human anatomy that are relevant to what we encounter in the massage room when treating you! This month, we’ll start by looking at the shoulder blades…
The scientific term for what we commonly refer to as the “shoulder blade” is “scapula”. Anatomical language borrows heavily from Latin and Greek to name structures of the body. “Scapula” is Latin for “shoulder blades”. And “scapulae” is the plural form of “scapula”.
The scapulae are unique bones in our body. We have two of them, one on our left, and one on our right. A scapula is a triangular-shaped bone, relatively thin from front to back. It is approximately the size of your flat hand. It has a smooth surface on one side, and a lumpier bumpier surface on the other.
The scapulae sit on your back, with their smooth surface facing the ribcage. The scapulae are in the upper half of your back, and on either side of your spine. Each scapula’s main function is to attach an arm to your torso. Your arm attaches to your scapula which attaches to your collar bone which then attaches to your torso. Cool, eh?
Another function of the scapulae is to enable us to move our arms in a variety of directions and through broad ranges of motion. Wherever your scapula goes, so too does your shoulder and arm. Our scapulae can slide up our backs (as when we shrug our shoulders in an “I don’t know” gesture)…they can slide down our backs (as one might experience when wearing a very heavy backpack, or carrying heavy bags in each hand)…they can slide outwards, away from our spine (as in the poor posture a lot of us adopt when at the computer or on our phones, ie, our shoulders are hunched forwards)…and they can slide towards the spine and one another (as when pulling your shoulders back and thrusting your chest forward).
During the movements above, the scapulae are actually gliding over the ribcage! Think of the scapulae sliding over the ribs similar to how in the winter a toboggan might slide over a set of railroad tracks, the tracks being akin to your ribs and the toboggan akin to your scapulae. In well-functioning anatomy, the scapulae are free to glide in any/all directions. But in a lot of us, our scapulae get a bit fixed in one position, or more accurately, have a movement or two they prefer, and a movement or two they do not like to do. And that’s where massage therapy can help.
A surprising number of muscles attach to each scapula. 17, in fact! Generally speaking, a muscle joins two bones, starting on one bone and ending on another. The space between the two bones, typically, is called a “joint”. No, not that kind of joint. But the kind of joint that moves, like the knee, wrist, shoulder, etc. With the scapular muscles, each of these 17 muscles attaches the scapula to another bone, including the upper arm (humerus), ribs, spine, neck, and the skull.
Ideally, the scapulae sit in a neutral position. In that they are not too high (a lot of our clients hold their shoulders high, without their knowing it, and it can lead to tension, headaches, etc), not too low (we rarely see this, if ever), not too wide and forward (we see this every day, shoulders curled/hunched forward), and not too close to the spine (a very erect, flat back…which we see occasionally, but not very often).
With massage, we aim to loosen/soften those muscles of the scapula that present as being tight/firm. And we help to promote improved mobility of the scapula (ie, being able to move your shoulder blades easier, through greater range of motion, and perhaps with less pain).
The scientific term for what we commonly refer to as the “shoulder blade” is “scapula”. Anatomical language borrows heavily from Latin and Greek to name structures of the body. “Scapula” is Latin for “shoulder blades”. And “scapulae” is the plural form of “scapula”.
The scapulae are unique bones in our body. We have two of them, one on our left, and one on our right. A scapula is a triangular-shaped bone, relatively thin from front to back. It is approximately the size of your flat hand. It has a smooth surface on one side, and a lumpier bumpier surface on the other.
The scapulae sit on your back, with their smooth surface facing the ribcage. The scapulae are in the upper half of your back, and on either side of your spine. Each scapula’s main function is to attach an arm to your torso. Your arm attaches to your scapula which attaches to your collar bone which then attaches to your torso. Cool, eh?
Another function of the scapulae is to enable us to move our arms in a variety of directions and through broad ranges of motion. Wherever your scapula goes, so too does your shoulder and arm. Our scapulae can slide up our backs (as when we shrug our shoulders in an “I don’t know” gesture)…they can slide down our backs (as one might experience when wearing a very heavy backpack, or carrying heavy bags in each hand)…they can slide outwards, away from our spine (as in the poor posture a lot of us adopt when at the computer or on our phones, ie, our shoulders are hunched forwards)…and they can slide towards the spine and one another (as when pulling your shoulders back and thrusting your chest forward).
During the movements above, the scapulae are actually gliding over the ribcage! Think of the scapulae sliding over the ribs similar to how in the winter a toboggan might slide over a set of railroad tracks, the tracks being akin to your ribs and the toboggan akin to your scapulae. In well-functioning anatomy, the scapulae are free to glide in any/all directions. But in a lot of us, our scapulae get a bit fixed in one position, or more accurately, have a movement or two they prefer, and a movement or two they do not like to do. And that’s where massage therapy can help.
A surprising number of muscles attach to each scapula. 17, in fact! Generally speaking, a muscle joins two bones, starting on one bone and ending on another. The space between the two bones, typically, is called a “joint”. No, not that kind of joint. But the kind of joint that moves, like the knee, wrist, shoulder, etc. With the scapular muscles, each of these 17 muscles attaches the scapula to another bone, including the upper arm (humerus), ribs, spine, neck, and the skull.
Ideally, the scapulae sit in a neutral position. In that they are not too high (a lot of our clients hold their shoulders high, without their knowing it, and it can lead to tension, headaches, etc), not too low (we rarely see this, if ever), not too wide and forward (we see this every day, shoulders curled/hunched forward), and not too close to the spine (a very erect, flat back…which we see occasionally, but not very often).
With massage, we aim to loosen/soften those muscles of the scapula that present as being tight/firm. And we help to promote improved mobility of the scapula (ie, being able to move your shoulder blades easier, through greater range of motion, and perhaps with less pain).