Hi, welcome to the subscapularis stretch, the PFN stretch chosen for this week. This stretch can be used to improve external rotation of the humerus without any pain. The stretcher lays down on their back and bends one arm up at right angles from their body as far as possible whilst still being comfortable. This will lengthen the subscapularis to its pain-free end of range. The partner places their hands on the stretches elbow and wrist for supoprt. The stretcher slowly attempts to rotate their humerus internally and therefore contract the subscapularis isometrically (push your wrist towards the ceiling). The stretcher should then relax and inhale deeply. On the exhale the stretcher should attempt to pusht their wrist towards the floor, deepening the stretch.
The subscapularis is located in the rotator cuff of the shoulder and assists in the medial rotation of the humerus. As you can see from the picture above that the subscapularis originates from the subscapularis fossa of the scapular and inserts into the less tubercle of the humerus.
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 (blog #50).
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 (blog #50).
Information obtained from McAtee, R. & Charland, J. (1993) Facilitated Stretching
Images from www.teachpe.com
Images from www.teachpe.com
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