Learn how to work the scapula for an athlete and why the scapula is important for working the back in this free instructional video lesson on sports massage therapy techniques.
Alexson Roy has practiced massage therapy for eight years and studied at the Academy of Massage Therapy in Inglewood. He is a practicing massage therapist at Beverly Hills Health and Fitness.
We created a stream up and down the back and what we are going to do again is focus on the scapula again. Remember the scapula, the bone in the back of the back where the shoulders connect and the muscles in your back connect and also this is what you call the rotator cuff, the muscles that are connected to the scapula. What we are going to do is we are going to apply friction to the muscles that connect to the sides and the base of the scapula. What this does is it creates a lot of heat within the muscle and that is going to bring tension to that area. Once again, blood flow and oxygen and all of those different things are going to help relax him as well. All it is is back and forth, across muscle fibers, and not actually going with them but going across the muscle fiber and all the way around the scapula. Then what I do is I grab the arm and try to do it as comfortably as possible. Now if this really bothers the client don't do it but if you can get their hand at the back at any point to where it can relax then you are going to be okay. Now what I am going to do is push on his hand, no it seems kind of tight, so what I am going to do is push on his elbow and I am going to put another hand underneath the scapula. This is the best way to get underneath the scapula because what you do is when you put the hand up the scapula sticks out and so that way you can go underneath it. The more I pull this way, the further up it goes. I am just going to push and stretch it out. I am going to just pull forward and press out with my palms. Pull forward and press out, do it one more time. Go up the scapula to the shoulders. Up and push, stretch and now relax. Use more friction but not too much friction. Now put the hand on the back and once again do this three times, push and press, push and press, and push and press.
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