The serratus posterior superior is almost always involved if you have a painful shoulder.
Learn how to massage it and get relief!
Trigger points are painful when pressed on and can trigger pain in areas of your body that might seem totally unrelated to the muscle that contains these points.
The pain zones of the serratus are spread throughout the upper body.
Pain is mainly felt at the top of the shoulder blade and down the backside of the entire arm.
Additionally, this muscle can refer pain to the chest, inner upper arm, forearm and to the back of the hand.
Not shown but still possible is pain at the wrist and palm.
It mainly causes…
The color in the pictures below displays how common it is to feel pain in the respective areas.
The darker the red, the more common it is to feel an ache at this spot when the serratus posterior superior contains trigger points.
When lying on your back, your shoulder blade will be pressing on the muscle.
If tender or trigger points are present, this can be painful.
Paradoxical breathing, which means breathing mainly with the chest instead of the diaphragm, will eventually overwork the muscle and activate trigger points.
In general, the muscles that assist breathing, ASSIST.
They are not meant to be the main workhorses. It is just too much load for those small muscles.
Also sitting in front of a high desk with your shoulders elevated will eventually lead to problems.
The fibers of the muscles draw near each other in this position.
Such a position, if it occurs often or chronically, is too much for the muscle.
As the serratus posterior superior lies under your trapezius and rhomboids you are not able to feel it.
Additionally, the most troubling part that you want to massage, lies under the shoulder blade, so that you cannot access it directly with your hands.
Still, with a little trick you will be able to massage it.
You have two options. You may use a massage ball or the Trigger Fairy.
When does the Trigger Fairy makes sense?
How to use the Trigger Fairy?