Pain between your shoulder blades could mean you have injured your rhomboid muscles. The rhomboid muscles are responsible for stabilizing your shoulder blades, or scapula, as you move your arm, squeezing your shoulder blades together and elevating them. Common causes of injury to your rhomboids include muscle strains or tears from quickly accelerating or decelerating your arm, such as when throwing a ball or swinging a racket.
Warm-up
Your rhomboid rehab exercises will be more effective and cause less pain after a shoulder blade warm-up. For the first 10 minutes of the warm-up, apply a hot pack to the affected area; this increases the tissue temperature and circulation of the rhomboids, making them more pliable and flexible. Then, gently move your arm through its entire range of motion, focusing on exaggerating the movement of your shoulder blade instead of your hand. That is, once you have moved your arm bone through its normal range of motion, move it just a little more by protracting or winging your shoulder blade. Bend your elbow, drawing big circles and semicircles through all the planes of motion, warming up your rhomboids.
Door Knob Stretch
Do some rhomboid stretching exercises before you begin any strengthening exercises. Find an opened door with doorknobs on each side, and place the bottom corner of the door between the front half of both feet, with both feet as close together as possible. Grab each doorknob with the corresponding hand, then bend your hips, dropping your body weight backward. Keep your knees nearly straight and focus on pulling your shoulder blades apart, stretching your rhomboids. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and repeat for four repetitions.
Seated Row
Seated rows strengthen your rhomboids. Use a seated row machine or a cable pulley to work the rhomboid muscles on one side of your back at a time. Position the handles at the level of your shoulders, and hold the handles with your arms in an outstretched position, winging your shoulder blade as much as possible. Then contract your rhomboid muscles to pull the handle toward your shoulder, holding the contraction for five seconds. Straighten your arms again and repeat for three sets of 15 repetitions. Begin with a light weight, gradually increasing the resistance as your strength improves.
Bent-over Fly
Perform bent-over flies with a pair of light dumbbells. Use a table or the flat post of an exercise machine that is just under the level of your waist, and a thick, folded towel. Place the towel at the end of the table or on the flat post, and hold one dumbbell in each hand. Position your feet within a short distance from the table, such that when you bend your waist and rest your forehead on the towel, your back is flat; bend your knees slightly and suck your navel toward your spine to maintain correct form. With your arms dangling in front of you and your elbows slightly bent, squeeze your shoulder blades together to raise the dumbbells out toward your spine until your arms are parallel to the floor. Hold the contraction for five seconds, then slowly lower your arms back down. Complete three sets of 10 repetitions.
References
- "Anatomy & Physiology"; Gary Thibodeau, Ph.D., and Kevin Patton, Ph.D.; 2007
- "Examination of Musculoskeletal Injuries"; Sandra Shultz, Ph.D., Peggy Houglum, Ph.D., and David Perrin, Ph.D.; 2005
- "Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries"; Peggy Houglum, Ph.D.; 2005
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