1. Pain Patterns & Symptoms

1.1 Pain patterns

If trigger points are troubling the serratus anterior, you might experience pain at the side of the ribcage and at the lower and inner side of the shoulder blade.

Furthermore, pain can radiate down the whole inner side of the arm. Also, the inner hand and 4th and 5th finger might be painful – not shown in the pictures below-.

The serratus mainly contributes to…

1

2

3

1.2 Symptoms & complaints

These are mostly limited to pain or a stitch during breathing.

The reason for this is that your chest expands during respiration, which in turn stretches your serratus anterior with every inhalation.

If it is too tense or contains trigger points this may be painful. You even may feel short of breath.

2. Attachment Points

The serratus anterior runs from the first nine of your ribs in a planar manner to your shoulder blade. It consists of three parts.

upper/superior part
middle/intermedius part
lower/inferior part

The X1 displays a common area where tender or trigger points develop in this muscle.

3. Function of the Serratus Anterior

The serratus anterior muscle helps to stabilize the shoulder blade, but also works during abductions and rotations of the shoulder.

When the shoulder blade is in a fixed position – e.g. breathing after a sprint – the serratus anterior lifts the ribcage and thus supports breathing.

4. Trigger Point Activation in the Serratus Anterior

Sprinting or fast running can overwork the serratus anterior and activate trigger points in this muscle.

Why? While running, you swing your arms. Especially when running fast, this movement becomes quite strong.

During the forward swing your serratus is active and moves your arm forward and upward.

If you are not used to this or do not give yourself enough rest, this may become too much pretty quick.

Also, a bad cough can overwork your serratus anterior as you often need to breathe strongly during that time.

5. Serratus Anterior: Palpation

Your serratus anterior muscle is very thin and covers the side of your rib cage.

You can feel it by putting your hand just below the arm pit.
It also helps to experience how your ribs feel, so that you can distinguish the ribs and this thin and superficial muscle.
To do so, just feel the first ribs under your nipple.
Now you will be able to distinguish the muscle from the ribs.

6. Serratus Anterior: Self-massage

You can massage this muscle with your hands or with a massage ball.

6.1 Self-massage with your hands or a ball

Place a massage ball or your hands on the serratus and search for tender or trigger points.
As soon as you encounter such a point, stay in its vicinity and massage it with slow and precise strokes.
That means you either roll over it with the ball or pull over it with your hand.

Exemplary massage positions

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Massage with the hand

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Massage with a massage ball

References

Calais-German, Blandine. Anatomy of Movement. Seattle: Eastland Press, 1993. Print
Davies, Clair, and Davies, Amber. The Trigger Point Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide For Pain Relief. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, Inc., Print
Simons, David G., Lois S. Simons, and Janet G. Travell. Travell & Simons’ Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1999. Print.
Schünke, Michael., Schulte, Erik, and Schumacher, Udo. Prometheus: Lernatlas der Anatomie. Stuttgart/New York: Georg Thieme Verlag, 2007. Print