Levator Scapulae SA Active Release

Levator Scapulae SA Active Release is an advanced soft tissue manipulation therapy that targets the levator scapulae muscles of the neck and shoulder region. This technique increases mobility, decreases pain and discomfort in this area, as well as increases range of motion and flexibility. The therapist will use their hands to locate and treat the tension in the tissues, which then releases the adhesions. This therapy is an effective way to treat the chronic overuse of the muscles, improving muscle

Transcript

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This is Brent, President of B2C Fitness, and we're talking about self-administered release
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techniques for those muscles that lie just above the scapula. In the previous
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videos, we did static release technique for levator scapulae, supraspinatus,
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and upper trap. In this video, we're going to go ahead and progress to active release
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technique for the levator scapulae. Now, in active release, I'm assuming that we've
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already toned down the trigger points. We've used those static release
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techniques that I talked about in previous videos, and now we're going to
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progress. In active release, we're taking it a step further by trying to bind down
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adhesive points within the connective tissue, and then pull the muscle through
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that, improving function. I'm going to have Laura come out and help me demonstrate.
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So you can assume the same position that we assumed for the static release
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technique. She's still going to look for the most tender spot. We're going to assume
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that's where the most adhesion would be. Make sure your standing in good posture. And then to
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make this active, I'm going to have her move the ball just superior to the trigger point.
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Not really off the trigger point, just to the top of the adhesive area. Then I'm
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going to have her go through all of her neck motions that would elongate her
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levator scapulae. So that's going to be contralateral flexion, contralateral
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rotation, a little bit of flexion, as if she's looking into her opposite front
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pocket.
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Back to neutral. Back down into a stretch. So the protocol for this is the same as
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active stretching. We're going to do 8 to 15 reps, with two-second
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holds in the lengthened position. Now with Laura, this would be where I stop. This is
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actually a pretty challenging maneuver for her. She's getting quite a bit out of
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this. But I want to go ahead and demonstrate what the final progression
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of active release technique for the levator scapulae would be. So she'd go down
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into her neck progression, and then she would depress and retract her scapula
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and go into full scaption with her shoulder. She'll go back down and neutral.
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Look at front pocket. Reach up, back to neutral.
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Now what she's doing with that, is she's going through all the lengthening she can in
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her neck, and depressing and retracting her scapula, and with scaption, forcing
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upward rotation, which further lengthens the levator scapulae. She'd still
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do it 8 to 15 times, with two-second holds in each position. What you'll find is
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that you'll release trigger points within a few weeks, moving to this active
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technique, probably another couple weeks, and once you get close to optimal
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extensibility of the levator scapulae, you'll be able to move into that last
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progression, as a way to polish off the last bit of dysfunction.