Name: Pectoralis Minor Manual Stretch
Uploaded: 2023-04-26T01:01:30.000Z
Duration: 5 min 40 s

English captions

https://stream.mux.com/6501q4rzxj3QEkDzC9T4DVHCqb02FsONmzIy32VEL64xE.m3u8

Learn how to properly perform the manual pectoralis minor stretch in this comprehensive step-by-step instructional video from the Brookbush Institute. This evidence-based video provides expert coaching on setup, positioning, alignment, and the safe application of stretches to improve pectoralis minor flexibility and anterior shoulder mobility. Enhance shoulder flexion and scapular mobility while supporting optimal scapular mechanics and postural alignment with this targeted stretching technique. Perfect for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and rehabilitation clients seeking to reduce anterior shoulder and chest tightness, improve mobility, and restore optimal shoulder mechanics while reducing injury risk.

Understanding the Pectoralis Minor

Effective Stretching Techniques for the Pectoralis Minor

Integrating Thoracic Spine Mobility for Optimal Stretching

Refining the Stretch Technique for Better Results

Final Thoughts on Pectoralis Minor Stretching and Client Benefits

Pectoralis Minor Manual Stretch

This is Brent coming at you with another one of our manual stretching videos. In this video we're going to go after our pectoralis minor, a muscle that has a propensity to get very overactive, very short in all of those individuals with upper body dysfunction. I'm going to have my friend, Yvette, come out and help me demonstrate this technique. Now, first things first, we always want to talk about body position. So I'm going to make sure that Yvette scoots down her hips right next to mine so that I don't have to reach across the table, I can save my own low back and my own mechanics. Next thing we have to think about is our kenesis, so what is it that my pectoralis minor does, and with attachments that ribs three, four, five, and my coracoid process, it is going to protract, downwardly rotate, depress, and anteriorly tip my scapula. Now, the problem that comes in, is most people will go, 'okay, great, got the pectoralis minor joint actions going.' Understand how to stretch it, you put the person in position and you do this and what do you feel? Nothing.  This isn't enough of a stretch, this doesn't take the pectoralis minor through enough lengthening for us to get any sort of result. So we've got to use a little bit of a secret here, or a little bit of a trick, very fancy piece of equipment also known as a gym hand towel. I'm going to have Yvette go ahead and curl up, I'm going to place this towel out of the level of the inferior angles of her scapula, and then have her lay back over it. Now you will have to experiment with the size of the towel a little bit. I find that the hand towels that we have here work very well, a bath towel would probably be way too big. Now, I'm going to take Yvette through these joint actions of elevation and upward rotation, and then I push her back into retraction, I have that towel pressing on her inferior angle this way, and pressing her thoracic spine into extension which is going to promote a lot of posterior tipping. So now, when I go to press down, now how does that feel Yvette? She can feel it in the lateral portion of her pec, and I can actually feel that first resistance barrier. Now, why would I want to stretch the pec minor? I think some of you are probably thinking, 'you just showed us a pec stretch on that video on pectoralis major', and that's true, however, the pec minor can be hidden in that stretch. These big stretches, these big motion stretches, latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major specifically, there's a lot of structures that could be involved. We could have pec major, we could have lat, teres major, subscapularis. If I know that the pec minor is bound down, and I want to hit that structure specifically, this is probably the best thing I can do. Further, if I want to hit pec major, and I want to make sure I'm hitting pec major, I'm sure some of you guys have already experienced where you take somebody into a pectoralis major stretch, and they're not really feeling it throughout their entire pec, they just keep pointing at their pec minor. Well, if you want to get this stretch better, you might have to do a PEC minor stretch first. Now, all that set aside, how can we make my pectoralis minor stretch a little bit better. I'm sure you will run into people whose pectoralis minor is like a leather strap, and it just won't let go. You can't get that release you're looking for. I have found a couple of tricks. Number one, pectoralis minor, for whatever reason, seems to be very related to stiffness in the thoracic spine. I don't know if there's some sort of arthro kinematic reflex happening there that tones up the pec minor, but doing any sort of release work for your thoracic spine, you can see that video on thoracic spine self-administered mobilization from my videos, my manual therapists can do your mobilizations, I think you'll find if you do that first it's a lot easier to get a release in the pec minor. Further, the pec minor has a propensity to really get laden down with trigger points. It might also be much more effective for you to do your self-administered release with a softball like I had on previous videos, or my manual therapist can do this manually. So, once again, to just kind of repeat here, to improve the lengthening ability to get the most out of a stretch for my pec minor, it is probably best to do my thoracic spine release, and my pectoralis minor release first. And, if you are having problems with somebody with upper-body dysfunction, doing these techniques before you do some of your bigger structures like pec major and latissimus dorsi is probably going to also increase the effectiveness of your technique. So just going through the technique one more time here, I have that towel set at her inferior angles, I'm going to set her arm into slight flexion here, that's going to help promote the posterior tipping. I'm going to put my hand over the lateral third of her clavicle and her acromion process, not the humeral head, remember my pectoralis minor does not cross my shoulder. So I want to be here. I'm then going to take her into elevation or upward rotation, and push her back into retraction and posterior tipping. I hope you got all of that. So that's elevation, upward rotation, push back on the lateral third of the clavicle in the acromion process. It's actually a really easy technique once you practice it a couple of times. I hope you get great results from this technique. I think your clients will definitely appreciate the specificity of this technique and what they can get out of it for their posture. I'll talk with you soon.

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Integrated functional anatomy of the pectoralis minor. Attachments, nerves, palpation, joint actions, arthrokinematics, fascia, triggerpoints, and behavior in postural dysfunction. Common exercises, foam rolling, release techniques, and stretches for the pectoralis minor.

Pectoralis Minor

Have your patient/client lie supine on a table or mat.

Slide a rolled up towel under the thoracic spine and inferior angles of the scapula - this forces some posterior tipping of the scapula, as well as some thoracic extension.

Use one hand to support the arm, with their forearm on your forearm and your fingers wrapped under their elbow.

Place the other palm over the coracoid process, lateral clavicle, and anterior deltoid.

Note: Do not push down on the humeral head alone. Although this may be great for anterior to posterior shoulder mobilizations if this is not your intent you could create mobility issues where they did not exist prior to this technique.

Gently use the patient's arm to elevate and upwardly rotate the scapula by gently lifting and leaning into the elbow.

Now, use the palm of the other hand to press the shoulder girdle down into the table, posteriorly tipping the scapula.

Hold this stretch and wait for the discomfort to subside, for a “release”, or a change in extensibility (generally 30 – 120 seconds).

Move deeper into the stretch or move on to the next muscle to be stretched.

More is not better: A mild sensation of stretch is plenty. Increasing tension to a point of moderate discomfort or pain will only result in muscle guarding, an increased risk of injury, and/or a less effective stretch.

Pectoralis Minor Manual Stretch

Manual Pectoralis Major Stretch

Manual Latissimus Dorsi and Shoulder Internal Rotator Stretch

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