As you begin to read this
article mentally check out your shoulders.
Are one or both elevated toward your ears? If so, release them. Push
the outside tops of the shoulder blades down and back while moving the
bottom tips in and towards each other. This movement will facilitate an
opening in the chest. Find that opening. This is the best position for
the scapula bones (aka shoulder blades). And it makes a difference.
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Perhaps the most important factor, with far reaching consequences, is
the effect that the scapula placement has on the brachial plexus. The
brachial plexus is a network of nerves starting at the upper vertebrae
and going thru to the hand on each side of the body. These nerves run
from the spine, through the plexus, down into the arm as well as up
into the neck and head. When the shoulders are habitually elevated, the
scapula puts pressure on the brachial plexus, leading to tension in the
spine and possible nerve impingement. As the brachial plexus is an
epicenter of the neurological communication to the head, neck and arms,
this is a recipe for disaster for those areas. This is how it works:
When it comes to the scapula bone a little movement in one direction
creates a lot of movement in the other direction. So, when we elevate
the tops of shoulders even a little bit, the bone will also move
towards the midline. That's the nature of the scapula. And when the
scapula bones move toward the midline they compress the brachial plexus
nerves.
The issue is that nerves, ligaments, vertebrae and vertebral disks
don't respond well to constant compression. The nerves tend to get
hypertonic, which means they get over-reactive and the muscles tend to
get hyper-contractive or over-contracted. So now you have tense muscles
and nerves alongside vulnerable vertebrae and disk all within the small
area between the neck and shoulder blades where 100% of the nerve
enervation for the shoulder, arm and hand resides.
Headaches, neck tension, radiating pain down the arm, and anything
related to the elbow, hand, fingers, wrist and all carpal tunnel
symptoms find a path to their discomforts thru the brachial plexus, and
thus, thru the scapula bones.
I have been working with patients for 30 years and over the past decade
I've seen a significant rise in cases with brachial plexus impingement.
It is my belief that the root cause of this increase is our growing use
of computers, cell phones and other hand held electronic devices. You
see, one of the byproducts of using all the technology is that it
encourages us to elevate our shoulders. Without realizing it, we are
taking this hard bone and pushing it in toward the spinal cord all the
time.
This elevated scapula bone is affecting young people at a concerning
rate. At Dorfman Kinesiology we see many Jr. High and High School
students who come to us with symptoms indicative of compression in the
brachial plexus. Headaches and neck tension are common. And most of
these students experience a lot of stress. Stress is a byproduct of the
tension on the nerves. It can create a negative feedback loop with more
tension creating more stress, which creates more tension.
Luckily we have the solution: Keep your shoulders down. Notice when
they rise up and pull them down again. This body awareness is key to
resolving brachial plexus tension. You are an active participant in
your own health care. This is something that can only be resolved with
you involvement and care.
Self-massage and stretching are other key pieces of any strategy to
alleviate brachial plexus issues. In my next article I will detail
specific ways to use these self-care techniques to address the brachial
plexus. In the meantime, maintain your awareness, keep your shoulders
down and you will begin to feel better forever.
