Learning about the Upper Girdle

Have you ever tried not using your upper body for one whole day? I know right, me neither! But hold this thought for a moment and imagine it!

We use our upper bodies in almost all activities we do in our daily lives, whether we are aware of it or not. Our arms are an articulation of our expression. To name a few daily tasks that we use our upper bodies, consider this list: eating, drinking, washing, driving, pushing a trolley, cycling, running, playing sports, making a bed, picking up something, working, lifting children and the likes. Yet, as regular BASI (Body Arts and Science International) Pilates goers, we spend much time checking in with our desired neutral pelvis when we should be spending the same amount of time checking in with our desired neutral shoulders. The balance between the two and dynamic stabilisation is key to a healthier functioning body. Good shoulder mechanics and good functional movement will set a body up for greater success.

The upper body and the shoulders in particular are exceptionally complex mechanisms that easily have imbalances, get injured and can have a number of different pathologies. To name a few: round shoulder syndrome, shoulder impingements, rotator cuff/cartilage tears, frozen shoulder, thoracic outlet syndrome, bursitis, dislocations and the likes.

Getting a neutral position in the upper back is best done when allowing the scapulae to float between, up and down and together and apart. A more relaxed pair of shoulders allows an open space between the collar bones. Dynamic stabilisation which is known as moving stability rather than the compression of the shoulders allows for scapulohumeral rhythm. This describes the timing of movement of two different joints during shoulder elevation: the humeral movement (at the glenohumeral joint) and scapular movement (at the scapulothoracic joint). In other words, this means that muscles work together and in balance.

As the work in Pilates progresses so the work becomes more and more shoulder dependent and dominant. Pilates allows us to work on the stability and mobility of the joints and shoulder landmarks such as the clavicle, humerus, and scapular. The Cat Stretch is our first exercise that challenges the upper girdle. As the work advances we have Single Leg Kick, Front Support, Leg Pull Front, Back Support, Leg Pull Back, Side Kick (Kneeling), Side bend, Twist, Double Leg Kick, Swimming, Rocking (prep), Swan Dive (prep), Tendon Stretch etc. All of these exercises, for a healthy set of shoulders, are brilliant at stabilizing and strengthening the upper girdle.

The shoulder joint is a muscle dependent joint that is exceptionally mobile and at the same time very unstable. It is highly dependent on the surrounding ligaments, tendons and muscles for stability. Having strength around the mobility is important to keep the shoulder strong, stable and functionally moving.

BASI Pilates is a wonderful way to bridge the gap between correct shoulder functionality and healthy movement. This can be achieved first through awareness and then finding the neutral scapular with stabilisation and then through scapulohumeral rhythm where adaptation is key.