3 Poses To Eliminate Pain In Between The Shoulder Blades

The most common cause of pain in between the shoulder blades is rounding your upper back, repeatedly and for long periods of time. This can happen at work, while driving or even as you type on your smartphone. And when you combine this with specialisation in just one or two athletic disciplines, you run the risk of exacerbating the stress and the pain as a result.

If you’re a cyclist or mountain biker, you spend long periods of time rounded over your handlebars—one of the key imbalances I address in my guide to yoga for cyclists. Surfers, swimmers and weightlifters put considerable stress through their shoulders and upper back. And for runners, the torso remains relatively immobile, which can contribute to the tension. In this article, I’ll give you 3 poses that you can start practicing today to reduce or hopefully, eliminate the pain.

WHAT CAUSES PAIN IN BETWEEN THE SHOULDER BLADES?

When your upper back and shoulders are rounded forward, your shoulder blades start to pull away from each other. This over-stretches the muscles that support the shoulder blades—the rhomboids, lower trapezius and posterior rotator cuff muscles. Over time, this causes muscle fatigue and strain in the mid back.

When the pain strikes, your instinct is probably to stretch your upper back but this could actually be making things worse. Instead, to address the cause of the pain, you need to open up your chest and the fronts of your shoulders, activate the muscles that support your shoulder blades and increase mobility in the thoracic spine.

3 POWERFUL POSES FOR RELIEVING PAIN IN BETWEEN THE SHOULDER BLADES

You can practice these poses every day, separately or together. Hold each of them for 3-5 breaths and repeat 2-3 times. They can be fairly intense, so ease into them gently. Be careful not to use force or to put yourself in any position that causes you pain. Practice them every day for a few weeks and see how you feel. 

If you are after more detailed instructions for the poses, click on the links as they will take you to my free full, video tutorials.

If you have an injury, please see a physical therapist to get the all-clear before practicing these exercises.

1. UPWARD FACING PLANK

This is the progression for Upward Facing Plank: Hammock, Crab and the full version of the pose. All three poses are effective for eliminating pain in between the shoulder blades, so take the variation that is best for you. Externally rotate your shoulders, lift your chest, lengthen your neck and gently squeeze your shoulder blades towards each other. Hold the pose for 3-5 breaths and repeat 2-3 times.

2. BRIDGE + FISH

If Fish pose is inaccessible for you, you can practice Bridge pose. These postures open up the chest and increase mobility in the thoracic spine. Hold one or both of these poses for 3-5 breaths and repeat 2-3 times. Again, lift your chest up and back, and draw your shoulder blades towards each other.

3. LOCUST

Here are 3 variations of Locust pose that you can cycle through for 3-5 breaths each. They are great for strengthening the muscles that support the shoulder blades. This includes the rhomboids, lower trapezius, and erector spinae, that run parallel to the spine. Focus on keeping your neck long as you draw your shoulders away from your ears.

FOLLOW THE SEQUENCE WITH ME

If you’d like to practice these poses with full instruction, I have a dedicated 15-minute Thoracic Recovery video on the Yoga 15 app. This therapeutic sequence is designed to improve mobility in your thoracic spine to relieve interscapular (in between the shoulder blades) pain.

The video is only available to Yoga 15 members. If you’re not yet a member, you can try the full library free for 14 days—360+ videos and 70+ courses designed specifically for athletes.

Start your free 14-day trial →

OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR MID BACK PAIN

• Take breaks during the activity or activities that you think might be contributing to your pain—riding your bicycle, working at your desk or driving your car.
• If you ride, my Upper Body Cycling course is designed to counteract the rounded riding position.
• Pepper in chest-opening stretches and twists throughout your day.
• Take baths (with Epsom salts if possible) or hit the sauna.
• Get a massage.

I’d love to hear which poses you find effective for relieving pain in between the shoulder blades—both stretches and strengthening postures and any routines that you regularly practice for this issue.