Ground Up Strength

Scalene Muscles: Location, Actions, Trigger Points, and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

The scalene muscles are three paired muscles of the neck, located in the front on either side of the throat, just lateral to the sternocleidomastoid. There is an anterior scalene (scalenus anterior), a medial scalene (scalenus medius), and a posterior scalene (scalenus posterior). They derive their name from the Greek word skalenos and the later Latin scalenus meaning "uneven", similar to the scalene triangle in mathematics, which has all sides of unequal length. These muscles not only have different lengths but also considerable variety in their attachments and fiber arrangements. As you will see from the descriptions below, these muscles are in a very crowded place and are related to many important structures, namely nerves and arteries, that run through the neck.

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Deltoid Muscle: Location, Actions and Trigger Points

By Eric Troy, Ground Up Strength

The deltoid muscle is a large, triangular, course, and thick muscle which gives the shoulder it's shape and contour. Its name is often reported to have derived from the Greek letter Delta (Δ) but it actually derives from the Latin word deltoides which means "triangular in shape or form" and was taken from the shape of the letter delta and the word eidos (oid) meaning shape or form. The deltoid is the principal abductor of the arm at the glenohumeral (shoulder) joint and also flexes and extends the humerus. The deltoid is the largest and probably the most important muscle of the shoulder complex. Bibliography item howell not found., Bibliography item doyle not found.

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Torn Rotator Cuff

By Asheesh Bedi, M.D.

In an adult population, rotator cuff tears are the most common cause of debilitating shoulder pain and disability, with approximately 300,000 rotator cuff surgeries performed annually in the United States. The diagnosis and management of rotator cuff disease places a significant financial burden on the U.S. economy, amounting to an annual cost of 3 billion dollars.

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Trapezius Muscle: Location, Actions, and Trigger Points

The trapezius is a three part (tripartite) muscle of the upper back extending from the base of the skull all the way to the lower thoracic spine and laterally from the clavicle to the entire length of the spine of the scapula. Together the two trapezii form a diamond or kite-shaped trapezoid from which the muscle derives its name.

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Levator Scapulae Muscle: Location, Actions, and Trigger Points

The levator scapulae is a muscle located on each side of the neck, situated posteriorly¹. It is named for it's action in elevating or "lifting" the scapula and the word levator is the latin word for "to lift". This muscle is like the over-worked back-stage prop guy of the neck. Always in the shadow of the large sternocleidomastoid and hardly ever getting a moments rest.

Along with the trapezius, the levator scapulae works to shrug the shoulders by its raising of the medial margin of the scapula. If the scapula are fixed the muscles assist in cervical extension and if used alone flex the neck laterally to one side.

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Recreational Weight Training Makes You More Prone To Shoulder Injury?

This is an older post from the GUStrength's Blog.

I noticed a post about a study at Male Pattern Fitness that I would like to have reacted to but for some reason the comments are always closed kinda quickly at this blog so I wanted to comment on it here. I feel it may be a bit misleading.

Yes, I agree completely that most people train in a way that predisposes them to imbalances and injury. Such as the internal rotator dominance that was brought up in the post.

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Shoulder Injury Prevention

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint. The head of the humerus (the bone where your biceps and triceps are) attaches into the “glenoid fossa”, which is simply a cavity for the bone to go into. This is just one aspect of this complex joint. It gets crazy.

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