Strong uneven scapula.

[Vai]

Is there anyway at all to counteract this?
It's very visible and it really bothers me, my right shoulder blade also sticks out a little while my left is 100% fine. (You can see it next to my right trap, the shadow)
I can even feel my right shoulder blade touching the back of the chair I'm sitting on atm.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks.

[tennisrox24]

Your serratus anterior muscle has a big responsibility to keep your scapula from "winging". To make sure this is the problem do a push up and have someone look at your scapula to see if it sticks out. To fix this try using a power rack and do incline push ups on a barbell. Start at the lowest incline that doesn't allow your scapula to "wing". Try 3 sets of 8-12 reps until you can learn to control the winging and then work your way down the rack. Also at the bottom of the push up focus on pulling your shoulder blades together. Hope this helps.

[Vai]

Your serratus anterior muscle has a big responsibility to keep your scapula from "winging". To make sure this is the problem do a push up and have someone look at your scapula to see if it sticks out. To fix this try using a power rack and do incline push ups on a barbell. Start at the lowest incline that doesn't allow your scapula to "wing". Try 3 sets of 8-12 reps until you can learn to control the winging and then work your way down the rack. Also at the bottom of the push up focus on pulling your shoulder blades together. Hope this helps.

Thanks alot! I'll give this a go.

[Dr Clay]

Google an exercise called "push-ups with a plus." this is arguably the most popular rehab exercise for the serratus anterior.

Likewise, I would suspect that your right upper trap is hypertonic/tight (and shortened). The upper traps are, in some ways, antagonistic to the serratus anterior. Thus trap tightness can neurologically inhibit the serratus. Even if that's not the case with you, your upper trap being tight can (and will) poll your scapula up, causing an asymmetry.

Hope that helps.

All the best,

[BFJ]

Google an exercise called "push-ups with a plus." this is arguably the most popular rehab exercise for the serratus anterior.

Likewise, I would suspect that your right upper trap is hypertonic/tight (and shortened). The upper traps are, in some ways, antagonistic to the serratus anterior. Thus trap tightness can neurologically inhibit the serratus. Even if that's not the case with you, your upper trap being tight can (and will) poll your scapula up, causing an asymmetry.

Hope that helps.

All the best,

yes, he gives good advice. me it's a tight left trap along with poor shoulder external and internal rotation ROM on the left that have caught up to me. assess your right vs. left for scap elevation, shoulder internal, external rotation, "arm-length," meaning if you got that tight right trap it might look like ur left arms/hand hangs lower. try to assess yourself of get someone who know what they're doing to assess your assymettry then patiently and cautiously do your best to fix it. good luck and train hard.

[Vai]

Google an exercise called "push-ups with a plus." this is arguably the most popular rehab exercise for the serratus anterior.

Likewise, I would suspect that your right upper trap is hypertonic/tight (and shortened). The upper traps are, in some ways, antagonistic to the serratus anterior. Thus trap tightness can neurologically inhibit the serratus. Even if that's not the case with you, your upper trap being tight can (and will) poll your scapula up, causing an asymmetry.

Hope that helps.

All the best,

Yes, this definately seems to be the case for me, my right trap is shorter than my left and I always seem to naturally raise that arm higher in a BDB. My right lat doesn't seem to flare out like my left, instead it seems to stop short, or be 'held back', my serratus seem more developed or at more least prominent on the right side though.

Another thing I've noticed is whenever I flex my right lat (ever so slightly) while relaxed, instead of flaring out like my left, it sort of pinches or crimps in.

Pics:



I'll start doing the 'pushups with a +' and sea if it helps.

[thesparkly1]

There are a lot of biomechanical probs here and i suspect there are more that we cant see (such as some rotator cuff dysfunction). Just be careful with the push-up/plus exercise - although it is a very good exercise for the scapulothoracic muscles, it's pretty stressful to the rotator cuff (because it puts the glenohumeral joint under major compression) and should only be done if the rotator cuff have good health. You know these are working okay if you can throw a tennis ball as hard as you can 20-30 times without pain in your shoulder the next day. The other thing that everyone needs to remember with all this specific strengthening work is that muscles get strong in the position we train them. So, if you want a strong serratus in standing, strengthen it in standing. And finally, remember that we're targetting a muscle group here that has a postural role and acts as a stabiliser - so train it that way - that means very high reps (and some static 'isometric' ones), using very slow movements in a variety of positions.

[k1ngoftheranch]

reviving an old thread.

i have pretty much exactly the same condition as the OP except on my left. trap feels bigger/thicker/tighter. left lat wont flare out but remains stuck back. i can feel shoulder blade wing a little. any help would be appreciated. i will start with the power rack pushups. should i not do any other pushups exercises that cause it to wing? how long should i expect this to recover. it doesn't stick out far but i can feel it...looks almost exactly like OP pictures.

i am currently doing a 4 day bro split...can i continue with my routine or will it be a hindrance to my recovery? im on a bulk so ive been doing higher weight lower rep scheme. i also do alot of bodyweight exercises and have for years so im sure my shoulder has been like this for a long time.

thanks

[CaptainProtein]

reviving an old thread.

i have pretty much exactly the same condition as the OP except on my left. trap feels bigger/thicker/tighter. left lat wont flare out but remains stuck back. i can feel shoulder blade wing a little. any help would be appreciated. i will start with the power rack pushups. should i not do any other pushups exercises that cause it to wing? how long should i expect this to recover. it doesn't stick out far but i can feel it...looks almost exactly like OP pictures.

i am currently doing a 4 day bro split...can i continue with my routine or will it be a hindrance to my recovery? im on a bulk so ive been doing higher weight lower rep scheme. i also do alot of bodyweight exercises and have for years so im sure my shoulder has been like this for a long time.

thanks

Bumping this because I have the same problem

[Ali18]

Bumping this thread. I have the same issue too. Have any of you guys OP included been able to fix this?