• Patients cannot forward flex the shoulder past 90° and exhibit scapular winging when the serratus anterior is not functioning. 1. It's called the serratus anterior and from what I can glean on the web (plenty of discussion on the Sandtrap) it's a fairly common, but painful, golf injury.

Origin: Superolateral surfaces of upper 8 or 9 ribs at the side of chest Insertion: Vertebral border of scapula Action: Draws scapula forward and upward; abducts scapula and rotates it; stabilizes vertebral border of scapula Innervation: Long thoracic nerve (C5, C6, C7) There are also more than a few risk factors involved with serratus anterior muscle pain. • Patients with serratus anterior weakness, patient is able to fully flex the shoulder but exhibit a degree of scapular winging. Furthermore, pain can radiate down the whole inner side of the arm. Keep in mind that these are just examples, as lifting any item over your head may cause strain or damage to the serratus anterior muscle. It prevents “winging” of your shoulders blades, which result in a less stable shoulder. The serratus anterior muscle runs from the front side of the scapula to the side of the rib cage.. Serratus anterior myofascial pain syndrome is part of a broader set of conditions known as myofascial pain syndromes. In the latter case, it is thought that twisting during sleep might be the most likely root cause. Serratus Anterior. The serratus anterior muscle spans the upper eight or nine ribs and helps you rotate your shoulder blade and move it forward and up. Although an unappreciated muscle, the serratus anterior plays a significant role in stabilizing the shoulder joint and shoulder blade. Also, the serratus anterior assists in keeping the shoulder blade close to your rib cage and prevents it from winging out to the side. Whenever you move your upper arm forward, like when throwing a punch for example, this muscle abducts (moves laterally away from the spine).. Serratus anterior pain isn’t fun. The serratus anterior isn’t the only upward rotator of the shoulder blade, it’s just the best one. 3 Way Shoulder Mobilization - Improve Scapular Mobility and Rotator Cuff Strength - Duration: 7:45. Serratus anterior is an incredibly important muscle for shoulder health, as it is really the big player in making sure there is a "rotation" component to scapular upward rotation (watch this video first if you need more information on that). It works magnificently in relieving serratus anterior muscle pain due to strain or injury. The serratus anterior upwardly rotates the shoulder blade and protracts the shoulder blade (move it away from the midline of the body). Myofascial pain is a process in which pain and dysfunction are related to the development and persistence of focal trigger points.