Ask Team Beech Street: Sore shoulder blade muscles

Q: Why are my shoulder blade muscles always sore and tight. What can I do in to help loosen them?

A: When the muscles around your shoulder blades are consistently sore and tight, it is often the result of a muscle imbalance. This can be helped by strengthening the weaker muscles around the shoulder blades to improve motor control and posture.

To start, make sure that your work space is set up to support your posture. You should have your feet flat on the floor, elbows at 90 degrees and your computer monitor straight ahead. It is also helpful to have a wrist support on your keyboard.

To strengthen, go into a 4-point position (on your hands and knees), and protract/retract your shoulder blades. Keep your elbows straight throughout the exercise, so that the only movement is coming from the shoulder blades. Repeat this movement 10X, 3x/day.