How to do it
Face down, arms straight out at shoulder height with the thumbs up. Draw the shoulder blades together and down first, then lift the arms a few centimetres and hold; the shoulders stay away from the ears.
Default dose
3 × 10 · 3s
This is the library's default dose. Each person's programme is set after assessment, around the grade of their finding and their own conditions and limits.
Muscles involved
- holding still Trapezius, Rhomboids, Posterior deltoid
Muscle colours in the animation: orange working, blue stretching, amber holding still. These muscles were measured on the 3D model.
Where it sits in a programme: Activate the weak
The third phase is activation: strengthening a muscle that has become weak or underused, with controlled movement and light load, so it can carry its share of holding the body up.
Which postural findings it is prescribed for
It appears in the example programme on these pages:
Take care
- If the movement causes pain or makes pain worse, stop and contact the clinic or your doctor.
Source
Measurement study:
- Ekstrom RA, Donatelli RA, Soderberg GL. Surface electromyographic analysis of exercises for the trapezius and serratus anterior muscles. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2003;33(5):247-58.
EMG: raising the arm overhead face down, in line with the lower trapezius fibres, activated lower trapezius most. - Cools AM, Dewitte V, Lanszweert F, et al. Rehabilitation of scapular muscle balance: which exercises to prescribe? Am J Sports Med. 2007;35(10):1744-51.
EMG: the exercises that work middle and lower trapezius with the least upper trapezius, side-lying external rotation among them.