Twincities Chiropractic

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If your suffering chronic pain that is radiating from your neck down to your arms, shoulder blades or your chest, there is a chances that you are suffering from scalene myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). The scalene muscles are a group of muscles which connects your cervical spine and a couple of your upper ribs where pain occurs in myofascial trigger points (“knots”) and fascial (connective tissue) constrictions.

• Sterno-Cleido- Mastoideus Muscle
• Anterior Scalene Muscle
• Middle Scalene Muscle
• Posterior Scalene Muscle
• Trapezius Muscle

LOCATING THE SCALENE MUSCLES

1. Turn your head towards your left shoulder. Press the right side of your forehead backwards with your left hand.
2. You should be able to feel your SCM muscle (Sterno-Cleido- Mastoideus Muscle) pop out with your left fingers.
3. Scale downwards your SCM muscle. You should be able to feel your scalene muscles fibers with your thumb between the bottom of your SCM muscle and the trapezius muscles.

RELEASING PRESSURE ON THE MUSCLES

1. Using three fingers, concentrate on the anterior and middle scalene muscle knots. You should slightly feel pressure on your shoulder blades and chest region by gently pressing on these points.
2. Gently run your fingers in circular motion through the length of the fibers.

EXERCISE

1. While sitting straight on a chair, grab hold of the seat with one hand. 
2. Hold on to your head with the other hand as you pull your head towards the pulling hand. Turn your head backwards to work the anterior scalenes muscle, straight to work the middle and downwards to work the poserior scalenes muscle.
3. Do the steps for about 15 seconds on three angles. Repeat the same process on the other side.