One of the bigger issues I see with athletes who have shoulder dysfunction is upper trap dominance. The upper trap needs to work in concert with he lower trap and serratus anterior for optimal shoulder function. However, in many cases, it tends to dominate the action during elevation.<\/p>\n
I recently evaluated a professional baseball player who presented with upper trap dominance. In standing, his right scapula was elevated and slightly protracted. In many cases, you will see scapular infera in the dominant side of a thrower, but that was not the case with him. During active elevation, you could see excessive upper trap firing\/activation compared to his left side. This can lead to altered glenohumeral mechanics and compression\/irritation of the rotator cuff with repetitive throwing.<\/p>\n
Performing low trap raises (the standard ‘Y’ exercise) and serratus anterior work is a no-brianer when you see something like this in order to activate the lower trapezius. But, I also like to focus on getting the client to pull the shoulder blades down and back if you will. Below is one of my favorite exercises I recently featured in PFP magazine to address this issue:<\/p>\n