Rhomboid major and minor muscles. Upper back pain

2. Exercises on the horizontal bar. If possible, do pull-ups on the horizontal bar. This workout will perfectly work the rhomboid back muscles. An imitation of pull-ups on a horizontal bar is deadlift upper block to the chest, so if you walk in Gym, do not ignore this exercise.

3. Bent-over dumbbell rows. Lunge right foot, elbow right hand rests on the knee, in the left hand there is a dumbbell, then we begin to bend and straighten the hand in which the dumbbell is in. We repeat at least 15-20 times, then work with the other hand. The main thing is to perform the exercise so that the load is in the area of ​​the shoulder blades.

4. Push-ups with wide arms. This exercise must be performed at a slow pace, it is important to feel the tension in the area of ​​the rhomboid muscles. To better engage the minimus and rhomboid muscles, do a push-up and hold for 10 seconds (squeezing your shoulder blades as hard as possible).

5. Abdominal rows on the machine. This exercise will work well on the diamond-shaped, and deltoids backs.

Training the rhomboid back muscles is necessary not only for the aesthetic appearance of the body, but also for health, so be sure to work on this area and you will not have back problems!

Anatomy.

The rhomboid muscle is located under the trapezius and connects the shoulder blade to the vertebrae of the upper back. Together with the middle fibers of the trapezius muscle, the rhomboid muscle connects the shoulder blades. It also elevates the scapula along with the levator scapulae muscle. Consequently, the rhomboid muscle holds the shoulder blades, bringing the shoulder blades together behind.

One of the muscles responsible for beautiful posture is the rhomboid muscle. This is one of the most important muscles that stabilize the scapula at the back. The rhomboid muscle runs from the spinous processes of the upper thoracic vertebrae to the inner corner of the scapula, in the direction from top to bottom (from the vertebrae to the scapula). In addition, it is divided into two parts: the rhomboid minor muscle and the rhomboid major muscle. The minor begins from the spinous process of the sixth cervical vertebra. The rhomboid major muscle runs from the first to fifth spinous process of the thoracic spine to the corner of the scapula.

Problem.

The muscle is prone to weakness, usually on both sides. In this case, the shoulders shift forward and a slouched posture is formed. Antagonist muscle: Minor pectoral muscle, with weakness of the rhomboid muscle it will shorten. Which will further increase the forward displacement of the shoulders. A shortened pectoralis minor muscle can put pressure on the neurovascular bundle, which will lead to goosebumps in the arms.

Also the second sign of its shortening: turning the hand with the back side forward (if you lower your arms down while standing). Having weakened, the rhomboid muscle displaces both the scapula and the entire shoulder girdle forward, which causes shortening of the pectoralis minor muscle. Following the shoulders, the head and neck move forward, as extensor longus The neck is attached in the same way as the rhomboid muscle to the upper thoracic vertebrae. And with weakness of the rhomboid muscle, their fixation and displacement occurs and the long extensor of the neck cannot function normally.

The rhomboid muscle tends to weaken, especially when the pectoralis major muscle on the front of the chest is overworked or very tight. The pectoralis major muscle is a muscle in the chest that gives this part of the body a beautiful appearance. Many weightlifters and bodybuilders overwork the pectoral muscles and end up with a slouched figure. The force of an overworked pectoral muscle pulls the shoulders forward, and the consistent loading of the rhomboid muscle weakens them and develops pain areas. Any type of work that requires you to lean forward with rounded shoulders puts the rhomboid muscle at risk of developing stress points.

This muscle, which is responsible for ensuring beautiful and even posture, is very often weak. It happens that either the rhomboid minor or the rhomboid major muscle weakens. Then, the remaining functional muscle takes on a double load and tries to compensate for this, tries to hold the shoulder blade alone and, therefore, begins to shorten and hurt. But most often, weakness of the entire rhomboid muscle occurs at the same time. It is with weakness of the rhomboid muscle that stooping occurs, because it holds the shoulder blade behind.


Being in such an uncomfortable position, a person wants to straighten up. But he begins to straighten not due to the fact that his extensors, which fix the scapula at the back, begin to work. It straightens due to the fact that it excessively strains the extensor of the back in the lumbar region. At the same time, he develops hyperlordosis (too much arching in the lower back). Pain in the lower back during gymnastics appears precisely because, trying to stand up straight, the gymnastics cannot straighten the thoracic spine and does this by putting effort in the lower back.

Next, the pectoralis minor muscle stops working normally. It tries to compensate for the weakness of the rhomboid muscle and shortens. Since the pectoralis minor muscle attaches to the coracoid process of the scapula and to the third, fourth and fifth ribs, this causes a lot of problems.

The fact is that it is a respiratory muscle. And due to the fact that it shortens and the third, fourth and fifth ribs are fixed, there is a restriction of mobility in the third, fourth and fifth vertebrae and a shortening of inhalation occurs. The muscle pulls the ribs up and rib cage It’s like she’s inhaling all the time, she’s raised all the time. And the rhomboid muscle is the muscle of exhalation, it contracts as you exhale, and during exhalation the scapula moves closer to the spine.

A complex set of muscle changes during stooping is called upper cross syndrome.

Diagnostics.

The pain that occurs in the muscle is felt along the inner edge of the shoulder blade. It does not depend on movement - it can be felt during rest. Not only the rhomboid muscle is involved in the structure of pain. But you will only feel its involvement when you eliminate tension points in the trapezius muscle, the levator scapulae muscle, and the infraspinatus muscle. If you hear a clicking or crunching noise when you move your shoulder blades, or feel pain in your upper lower back, there may be stress points in the rhomboid muscle.

Stretching and static exercises.

1. The most easy way to eliminate tension points in this muscle is to lie on the floor and place a ball between the shoulder blade and the spine. You may need to rest your head on a thin pillow for comfort. You will understand where to place the ball when you lie on it and experience pain from pressing on the tension point. As you lie on the floor, allow your body to relax and breathe deeply. Your body's gravity and the compression of the ball will do all the work to relax the muscle.

2. Stretch: Sit on a chair, lean forward and lower your head. Cross your arms to grab your opposite knees. Hold this position for 20 seconds. You can also practice lateral crunches thoracic spine, they also involve the rhomboid.


3. Mixing. One of the simplest and most effective exercises for bringing the rhomboid muscle into a healthier state is to bring the shoulder blades together. You can do shoulder blade retraction on your stomach (Boat exercise) + our favorite plank.
The “Warrior Pose” asana helps a lot.

Dynamic exercises.

There are about 650 muscles in our body, but for some reason we do not train all 650, but only the most important ones, those that form the basis and in the process of which the whole body is transformed. The rhomboids are precisely those muscles that do not need to be purposefully trained, since they develop passively when doing back exercises. Almost every exercise involves these muscles, and therefore you should not worry about their development - they are to some extent independent.

The most important thing is to squeeze your shoulder blades together before starting the exercise to tighten the rhomboid muscle. Otherwise, she will simply passively overstretch herself and not train.

Dips

Deadlift

Bent-up barbell row

Upper block pull

Pull-ups.

Why tidy up something that no one will ever be able to see? Guided by this wise rule, apartment owners decide, for example, not to glue wallpaper in places where cabinets should be. Or don’t clean up dust where only a hamster, forgotten by everyone and falling into despair, could get into it. With muscles, everything is a little more complicated. Even those of them that we do not have the slightest chance to see during our lifetime can play a very important role. And if you don’t develop them, then...

Where the hell did she go?
Take, for example, the rhomboid muscle, which belongs to. Do you see her? No, it’s clear that you won’t see her just like that - you don’t have eyes on the back of your head. And in the mirror? Also no? Then ask someone to find that muscle on your mighty back.

It would be better if this someone was a girl. It is, you know, very pleasant when gentle people feel your back women's fingers. What, and she couldn’t find it? But this is not surprising. The fact is that the rhomboid muscle (actually, there are two of them - small and large, but visually they form a single whole) is located just under the trapezius, so it doesn’t seem possible to find it. Of course, if you don't cut it trapezius muscle, but we will not engage in such barbarity.

It’s not visible - well, to hell with it? No matter how it is: the rhomboid muscle (or, more simply, the rhomboid) plays a very important role. It is she who is responsible for ensuring that our shoulders do not look sloping, and that our back does not bend under the weight of the past years and numerous everyday problems. That is, a developed rhomboid makes us stand up, straighten our shoulders and - ultimately - appear visually larger.

It is important? Undoubtedly! Therefore, the rhomboid muscle must be developed purposefully. The trouble is that not everyone knows how to do this, although there is absolutely nothing complicated here. In fact, in this case you can limit yourself to one single additional exercise.

Exercises to develop the rhomboid muscle

We pull, we pull... No, we can really pull it out. True, with difficulty. As you understand, the exercise in question is a traction exercise, and it is performed with a very significant weight.

Starting position: lie down on horizontal bench face down. We take heavy weights or dumbbells in our hands. The grip is parallel (need we explain what this is?) You won’t be able to straighten your arms – the height of the bench won’t be enough. Yes, and, as we will see later, it is not particularly necessary. We pull our arms towards the chest, trying to squeeze the shoulder blades together as much as possible at the top point and stay in this position for at least one second. Then we lower the weight to the ground and immediately begin a new repetition.

The whole trick of this exercise is precisely the limited range of motion. This amplitude makes it possible to exclude as much as possible from work latissimus muscles and focus specifically on rhomboids. This is also facilitated by the fact that thrusts are performed not to the abdomen, as usual, but to the chest (approximately to the lower section of the chest).

The weight of the weight also plays an important role: it is selected so that you can freely perform five, maximum six, repetitions in a set. In total, during the workout you need to perform 4 sets of this exercise with 5-6 repetitions in each of them.

A variant of this exercise can be considered pull-downs on the lower block, which are performed with a wide parallel handle to the lower section of the chest in a limited amplitude. True, you can’t find it everywhere, and why figure out how to make something more complicated that is done very simply?

Rhomboid muscle, functions of which there are relatively few, is located under the trapezium. It connects the shoulder blades to each other and to the vertebrae.

general characteristics

As mentioned above, the functions of the muscle are few. However, the tasks it performs are of great importance. In particular, the back is responsible for correct posture. It is one of the key structures that stabilize the scapula. It begins at the spinous processes of the upper vertebrae of the thoracic and lower cervical spine.

Anatomy

The fibers are divided into two sections. Rhomboid minor muscle arises from the spinous process in the sixth cervical vertebra. The fibers extend to the inner corner of the shoulder blades, from top to bottom. Rhomboid major muscle starts from the thoracic vertebrae. The fibers arise from the 1-5 spinous processes and also go to the angle of the scapula.

Problems

Rhomboid muscle predisposed to weakness, usually on both sides at once. In such cases, the shoulders shift forward, resulting in stooping. When the fibers are weak, the pectoralis minor muscle begins to shorten. This allows for even greater shoulder displacement. The pectoral muscle in a shortened state can put pressure on the neurovascular bundle. Because of this, there is a feeling of goosebumps in the hands. Another sign of shortening is the rotation of the hands with the back area forward in a standing position with the hands lowered. upper limbs. A weakened one will also displace the scapula, and subsequently the entire shoulder girdle. Following it, the neck and head will move forward, since the extensor muscle is the first to attach to the upper vertebrae of the thoracic region. Due to muscle weakness, it cannot function normally.

Prerequisites

Rhomboid muscle susceptible to weakness, especially in cases where there is overwork/strain of the pectoral muscles. This problem often occurs among bodybuilders. The pectoral muscles have a beautiful relief, but when they are overworked, the muscles weaken upper area backs. As a result, many bodybuilders walk with a slouch. The force of the overloaded pectoral muscle pulls the shoulders forward, and the progressive tension of the rhomboid fibers is weakened. As a result, pain areas appear. Any job that involves bending forward is at risk.

Specifics of activity disorders

In some cases, one part of the muscle becomes weak. In such a situation, another department takes on double the workload. Trying to compensate for the incapacity of the other part, the fibers try to hold the scapula. As a result, it shortens and pain begins. Most often it weakens completely. Being in an uncomfortable position, a person tries to straighten up. But he does this not due to the work of the extensors that fix the scapula. The back straightens due to the activity of the muscles in the back area. As a result, hyperlordosis develops. It represents a strong lumbar deflection.

Consequences

As a result of disturbances in the activity of the rhomboid muscle, the pectoral muscles suffer. It begins to shorten. It is worth saying that the pectoralis minor muscle is fixed on the coracoid process of the scapula and 3-5 ribs. If its operation is disrupted, many problems arise. First of all, the pectoral muscle is a respiratory muscle. Due to its shortening, 3-5 ribs are fixed, the mobility of 3-5 vertebrae becomes limited. As a result, the duration of inspiration decreases. The muscle pulls the ribs up. Because of this, the chest is always in a state of inhalation. The rhomboid muscle is responsible for exhalation. The complex set of changes associated with stooping is called upper cross syndrome.

Diagnostics

When muscle activity is disrupted, pain occurs. They are localized in the area of ​​the scapula, along its inner edge. However, pain does not always occur when moving. It can often be felt at rest. It is worth noting that in the formation pain More than one rhomboid muscle is involved. However, to feel it, it is necessary to eliminate stress points in the infraspinatus, trapezius fibers and the structure responsible for raising the shoulder blades. If crunching, clicking, or pain occurs when the latter move, this may indicate a malfunction of the rhomboid muscle. An accurate diagnosis must be made by a doctor. Experts do not recommend delaying visiting a doctor.

Static exercises

You can relieve tension in the rhomboid muscle different ways. The simplest of them is as follows. You need to lie on the floor on your back, placing a ball between your spine and shoulder blade. For greater comfort, you can place a thin pillow under your head. The area where the ball should be located is determined by how painful it is when pressed. It is recommended to completely relax and breathe deeply. You can do another exercise. To do this, sit on a chair, lean forward and lower your head. Your arms should be crossed so that you can clasp your opposite knees. Within 20 sec. should be in this position. One more downtime and that's enough effective exercise- bringing the shoulder blades together. It can also be performed while lying on your stomach (“boat”).

Dynamic classes

These include:

1. Pull-ups.
2. Exercises with a barbell.

Before they begin, it is necessary to bring the shoulder blades together to tighten the rhomboid muscle. IN otherwise she will simply be stretching rather than exercising.

Conclusion

There are about 650 muscles in the human body. However, usually only the most important ones, which form the basis of the body, are trained. The rhomboid muscle is one of the key muscle structures. However, there is no need to carry out targeted training. When performing back exercises, the muscle will develop in any case. Almost every complex involves its use. Therefore, there is no need to worry particularly about the development of the rhomboid muscle. If pain occurs, you should visit a doctor.

Proximal attachment of the spinous processes of the C7-T5 vertebrae.

Distal attachment, Medial border of the scapula.

Function. Raise the shoulder blade while bringing it closer to the spine.

Palpation. To localize the rhomboid muscles, the following structures must be identified:
. Medial edge of the scapula.
. The base of the scapula is a small triangular surface located at the medial border of the spine of the scapula. Most often it is at the same horizontal level with the third thoracic vertebra.
. The inferior angle of the scapula is a triangular surface in the distal part of the scapula. Most often it is at the same horizontal level with the seventh thoracic vertebra.
. Spinous processes of the C715 vertebrae.

Place the patient on his stomach with his head resting comfortably on the pillow. Ask the patient to place their hands on the lower back, palms facing up. When he starts to deflect top part body back against the counteraction created by your hand, the rhomboid muscles will become visible.

Palpate the rhomboid muscles in the space between the spinal column and the medial edge of the scapula as much as the fibers of the trapezius muscle.

Pain pattern. The pain is concentrated along the medial edge of the scapula, but can also spread laterally through the supraspinous part of the scapula. Local superficial aching pain is felt at rest and does not depend on movements.

Causal or supporting factors. Chronic overload caused by prolonged periods of working in a hunched position. Postural overload due to excessive contraction of the pectoralis major muscle.

Satellite trigger points. The levator scapulae, trapezius, supraspinatus and pectoralis major muscles.
Affected organ system. Respiratory system.

Associated zones, meridians and points.

Dorsal zone. Bladder foot meridian tai yang. BL 11 - 15, BL 41 - 44.

Stretching exercise. Sit on a chair. Bend forward with your head down, cross your arms in front of you and clasp your knees on opposite sides. Fix the pose to a count of 5 10.

Strengthening exercise. Lie diagonally across a table or bed and hang your arms over the edge. Bend your elbows 90 degrees, retract your shoulder blades and hold the pose until you count 10. Relax and repeat the exercise.

D. Finando, C. Finando