More on Shoulders

[Guest guest]

In dealing with my own and/wrist/elbow problems I

have been finding more and more mention of how the

shoulders are involved in such things. Last<br>night I was

rereading Sharon Butler's book,<br>Conquering Carpal Tunnel

and Other Repetitive Strain Injuries (the book I was

raving about last week) and I found a page on the

shoulders. Here is a quote:<br><br>"The shoulder girdle is

made up of only four bones -two collarbones and two

shoulder blades. These bones are "floating" in muscle at

the front, sides, and back of the body. The bones are

attached to the torso by means of two small cartilage

joints at the "notch" between<br>the collarbones.

Ideally, the shoulder girdle should have free and separate

movement in relation to the ribcage and spine. As we age,

many of us develop movement patterns that link

together the movement of the shoulder girdle and the

torso. This can lead to increased tension, fatigue, and

limited range of motion. This restriction continues to

build as the habitual holding patterns persist and the

fascia in the area becomes increasingly tight and

sticky. It is important to continually try to break up

habitual movement patterns to avoid this gradual loss of

function."<br><br>This was a major breakthrough for me, to realize that

the shoulder blades(scapula) and the collar bones

(clavicles) form this "girlde" or "harness" that is

free-floating and is attached only at the top of the chest. So

if you are shrugging your shoulders, you are lifting

this whole assembly, to which the arms attach. There

is certainly plenty of possibility for tension in

this area. It can<br>take a long time to get it all

free. But it helps a lot to know what you are dealing

with and what you are aiming for. Free the shoulder

girdle!