The Rhomboid muscles
Rhomboid muscles
I thought I’d start a series about muscles and what they do. We are getting close to Christmas so it seemed appropriate to start with Rhomboids Major and Minor, which form a Christmas tree kind of shape!
They run from the inner edge of the shoulder blade to the spine. And their actions include shrugging the shoulders and squeezing the shoulder blades together. Our modern ways of living often result in them being overstretched and weak. For instance; driving, using a computer, slouching, sitting hunched over an iPad or phone, or any posture that keeps the arms in front of the body for a long time can cause weak rhomboids. So pretty much a regular day then! They are normally along with tight pectoral muscles, which are short and strong and overpower the weaker deltoids.
Pain can be felt between the shoulder blades. Usually just on one side, occasionally both. And the pain is often felt at rest. The pain is usually masked by the pain from trigger points in the trapezius, levator scapulae, and infraspinatus muscles. It then becomes apparent after these other trigger points have been treated.
Trigger point work can really help
Consciously think about your posture, its easy to sit up straight and pull the shoulders back. But when you forget to do it then tight pectorals will win the battle and the shoulders come forward again. The rhomboids can be painful and feel like they need a good stretch, but being overstretched anyway means they
Rhomboid Trigger Point
shouldn’t be lengthened any further. Trigger point work can really help them, along with massaging and stretching the tight pectoral muscles in the chest. A balance is needed for proper functioning of the body. The rhomboids will really benefit from strengthening, rowing is a great exercise for this.
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