Matt's Movement Log

[Ned]

I still wish you well with your hamstring recovery and I'm glad that counting breaths is working for LRP.  

[Gareth O Connor]

The Buddha liked lists

[Matt Chung]

On 8/29/2024 at 6:51 PM, Matt Chung said:

To keep it short as possible, I pulled a muscle somewhere in my upper back — Rhomboid minor/major — that's making it difficult to rotate my head to the right, and excruciating pain when trying to roll in and out of bed

Day 613 of Stretching and Flexibility Journey

• Exactly 7 days ago, I once again injured my (I think) Rhomboid minor/major - Looking back through this journal from 1.5 years ago, this affected area tends to flare up a couple times, resulting in me being unable to roll in and out of bed without excruciating pain. More specifically, this time around — this instance, lasted about 7 days, each day the pain abating a little more — I was completely unable to lift my head off the pillow.
• Unsure what triggered the Rhomboid minor/major pain - Although I'm not 100% sure, I think the contributing factor to this (according to some research) "inhibitory guarding" was me stretching my neck too much. The day before the injury began, I had start with limbering my neck, opening my jaw wide and tilting my head back; however, I think I may have pushed the limits. Not sure.
• Will start looking into strengthening and increasing flexibility in this area

Repeated injury as commented back in August 2024 (see here): 

[Kit_L]

@Matt Chung: the location looks like the same spot that literally everyone holds tension in: the lower fibres of levator scapulae. Once the soreness settles down, you can test this by carefully taking the head forwards with a neutral thoracic spine, then taking the head to the side (while maintaining the forwardness). You'll soon know if it's LS. Strengthening the shrugging muscles (there are lots of them; don't overthink it) usually works in time. Once a week will be enough.

In my clinical experience, it's unusual to injure the rhomboids. LS is (statistically) much more likely. Rhomboids are strengthened by full protraction/retraction in horizontal pulling movements.

For everyone, some strengthening of horizontal pushing and pulling muscles, along with complementary vertical pushing and pulling is necessary in today's sedentary life.

[Matt Chung]

> the location looks like the same spot that literally everyone holds tension in: the lower fibres of levator scapulae. Once the soreness settles down, you can test this by carefully taking the head forwards with a neutral thoracic spine, then taking the head to the side (while maintaining the forwardness). You'll soon know if it's LS

@Kit_L bang on. It's been 7 days (first 5-6 days, was in so much pain) and pain has settled and I just tested the above (i.e. head forwards, turn head to side) and boom: it appears to be the LS.

Will start on strengthening the shrugging muscles and appreciate you reminding me of not to overthink. These muscles are ones I've neglected and will be curious how strengthening will begin feeling in my body because this area has repeatedly caused me grief last couple years. Excited to experiment. Thanks again.

 

[Kit_L]

Look up torticollis; literally Latin for "wry neck". This extremely painful condition can be caused by a draught from a window while sleeping! And torticollis is 100% the domain of levator scapulae. This condition has been talked about for centuries.

To future proof yourself against these sorts of things, we need to strengthen these muscles, and also make sure that we're not holding excessive tension in the neck area – what most people don't understand is the tension anywhere in the neck is going to cause the muscles which are the tightest – and in everyone that's levator scapulae – to either go into spasm or start signalling pain. This is how the body works in this universe.

And don't worry about overdeveloping the neck muscles or anything like that – most people have never done any specific strengthening work for levator scapuale, and as a result they respond very quickly. But increasing the strength of these muscles will not make your neck look like Mike Tyson's or anything like that. As well, and at the same time (and after the strengthening work as a perfect time to do this), we do need to take the head and neck through that full range of movement I described above. In other words, as far forward as possible, and while holding the head forward, cautiously take it to the side as far as possible. That puts levator scapulae under direct stretch. General contractions can then be done (across and back to the starting position) – and don't forget the contractions themselves are strengthening.