Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'. There are many different stretch focused on the shoulder and biceps mainly, but not many that stretch the pecs. the parallel arm stretch includes both of these muscle groups and is a very affect stretch for all athletes. Of course if you don't consider yourself a athlete don't be afraid to include this stretch in a warm up or warm down.

Use a wall/pole/any verticle structure you can find to do this stretch and simply place your palm on the structure, with your finger facing away from you and slowly push forward. You should feel the stretch through the front of your arm and down your chest. This is due to the stretching of your pectoralis minor and major in your chest, your anterior detiod, bicep brachii, brachialis and brachioradialis in your shoulder.

The parallel arm chest stretch should be done one arm at a time, remembering to stretch both arms equally. Make sure you do as the stretch suggests and keep your arm parallel to the ground. The picture below is detailed in the movement of the stretch and should give you a good indication on how the stretch should look when doing it correctly.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.

If the stretch feels akward and wrong then it probably is, if it feels like the stretch is working on your entire on side of your chest and little in the anterior of your shoulder then that is correct. Keep your body in balance and repeat the stretch with both arms and equal amount of times and avoid turning your head but look straight instead.

The Parallel Arm Chest Stretch is good at addressing dislocation, subluxation, acromioclavicular separation, sternoclavicular separation, impingement syndrome, rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder buyrsitis, frozen shoulder, biceps tendon rupture, bicepital tendonnitis, bicep strain, chest strain, pectoral muscle insertion inflammation.

Always remember that while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation.  Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time.  Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (The first posting on this stretching blog).

Image taken from "Upper Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.