A new report takes a look at how to maintain the health of the scapula, which the author points out is perhaps the deciding factor when it comes to the wellbeing of our upper extremities. Basically, without a healthy scapula, every portion of a person’s arms are at risk due to the detrimental impact an unstable scapula has on the arm.
You want the scapula to control movement of the arm as a whole. When it’s not in its rightful place, the tail starts to wag the dog because the arm starts to control the scapula, something that leaves people susceptible to various injury risks, especially if those persons are heavily involved with athletics. Sprains, strains, and tears are not uncommon when this type of movement takes place.
Pain may not immediately occur when the scapula isn’t positioned the right way, so it could be some time before you notice something is wrong. That’s not to say that it’s impossible to determine whether or not you could be doing more for your body. When you look in the mirror while standing in your natural position, look to see if your shoulders incline forward rather than helping you stick up straight while maintaining good posture. The forward rounding suggested by the former situation could indicate that you might need to to do more to promote good health.
Good posture can actually go a long way toward improving scapula positioning. Many people think that posture is all about the back, but it has other benefits as well. You should get in the habit of sitting up straight and always rolling your shoulders back whether you’re walking or standing. When you exercise, think about stretching your shoulder blades by bringing them toward one another behind you.
Perhaps no one is more susceptible to scapula-based injuries than pitchers and other types of athletes who are called upon to make throwing motions that require the arm to extend above the head. As the author notes, many types of exercises can actually do more harm than good for this demographic. Rather than trying to work on the upper body through such things as pull ups and the bench press, athletes would be wise to focus on stretching and exercising in a way that contributes to lower to mid back health.
The best way to guarantee that you’re doing what you can to ensure the safety of your scapula is to speak with a personal trainer. A trainer can help you work out those parts of your body that contribute to health rather than just a better body image.
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