Massage Tutorial: Lifting the Shoulder Blade

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Want to give your massage clients a new sense of freedom in their shoulders? Here are 4 ways of working under the scapula (and why you don't need to force it).
0:32 Method 1: Scooping the shoulder
2:10 Mobilizing the shoulder blade once you have it lifted
2:35 Method 2: Bolstering with a towel
4:10 Method 3: Placing the client's hand behind their back
5:24 Method 3.5: Side-lying arm rotation
6:20 Method 4: Pressing upward while the client is supine
7:50 Why work under the shoulder blade?
11:18 How to work with clients with immobile shoulder blades

If your client has upper back pain or pain between the shoulder blades, it can be useful to mobilize the scapula. My most frequently used method is to scoop the shoulder as I work with the medial scapula—I form my hand into a lever and use it to bring the shoulder into retraction. This reduces tension in the rhomboids and allows me to lift the shoulder blade away from the ribs in many clients. From here, I can use the rocking of my stance to mobilize the scapula in all directions. I find that I'm able to work this into my massage routines seamlessly, not interrupting the flow of the session.

I also use the last method fairly frequently. By "walking" my fingers under the shoulder, I'm able to end by curling my fingers toward the medial scapula and creating some space there. I often do this in combination with other techniques that target the upper back and rotator cuff while the client is supine, allowing me to massage and mobilize that posterior tissue with very little effort on my part.

I don't see massaging under the scapula as a means to an end. I don't do it to "break up knots" or to get the rhomboids to "release." The area between the shoulder blades is often chronically long and taut, making it a region likely to end up with some sensitivity and hypertrophy; this isn't something I think I can "break up" with my hands. Instead I try to work broadly with all the muscles of the shoulder girdle and beyond. If we can get those to release their tone, it's possible for those postural muscles in the upper back to finally get some slack.

So why work under the shoulder blade? Because it's an interesting new stimulus. It demonstrates to the client, both consciously and on the level of the spinal reflexes, that this area is capable of stretch and movement. It tells the client how their scapula works, and about its relationship with the rest of the back and shoulder girdle.

If you can't get under a client's shoulder blade, I say take it slow. Think about working with mobility over ten sessions rather than one, and realize that any massage techniques that move the shoulder blade in new ways will be useful for their nervous system. Some clients will always have stubborn scapulae, and that's okay.

Let me know what you think, and if you have any techniques you'd like to share! Thanks for watching!

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