Subscapularis problems

Has anyone else dealt with subscapularis problems before? I have been to a physio and was told my subscap is tight / has some adhesions and is referring pain to the back of my shoulder especially on pull ups and now on handstand push ups.

I've been doing the lying internal rotations which I was given as prehab but I am wondering if anyone else has experience of this and knows if SMR around surrounding musculature might help relieve the problem. It is very hard to get at the subscap myself but I have been trying to massage it as much as I can. 

Does anyone know if there are any of the iM's which stretch the subscapularis? I own F1 -  F4 and H1 & H2 so was hoping revisiting something in there might help. 

Hi Michael,

Did your physio give you any specific exercises or stretches? The HBP iM's from the Foundation series work on this area but you should work closely with your physio until the issue is resolved.

1 hour ago, Everett Carroll said:

Hi Michael,

Did your physio give you any specific exercises or stretches? The HBP iM's from the Foundation series work on this area but you should work closely with your physio until the issue is resolved.

Yeah he gave me lying internal rotations to do, basically lay on my side on a bench with the upper arm at 90deg and rotate at the shoulder to my current range of motion with a light dumbbell in hand. I'm not explaining that very well but I have been doing that and trying to find some more stretches to try fix this as soon as I can.

I must have a look at some of the past iM's for the HBP and see if I can get some sort of relief around that area.

Sounds good Michael. Work closely with your physio and remember that your focus right now is on getting healthy. 

I have had good success with self massage of subscapularis trigger points. You will find a bunch of stuff if you just google it, or here is a video to get you started (I just quickly zipped through the video, not sure if she shows it - using all four fingers with the hand turned so the fingernails face the torso is another option besides using the thumb as shown):

Further to Kai's video, this is one of the ways I treat clients with subscap issues, as although it's an internal rotator, if it's tense it can affect shoulder flexion as well.

The technique in the video is awkward when trying to treat yourself. If you can find a good remedial massage therapist (ask him/her how they treat subscap), this is what I'd get them to do (but check with your physio first). Don't get a friend to do this, you need someone who knows what they're doing.

1. Lie on your back. Assuming it's your right subscap, put your right hand behind your head and point your elbow towards the ceiling.
2. Get the therapist to support your elbow so you're not using muscle tension to support your arm.
3. The therapist uses fingers to sink in between the ribs and the scap, starting at the inferior angle (the lower-most part of the scap). This may be sore and uncomfortable initially. When the discomfort goes away, the therapist lets your elbow drop out to the side (your hand is still behind your head) a little. Repeat until your elbow is as low as it can go.
4. Point your elbow at the ceiling again; the therapist moves up a bit, and repeats the process.
5. Once the therapist has finished all this, you slowly reach your entire arm to the wall above/behind your head. As you do this, the therapist simultaneously slips fingers in between the ribs and scap again, and also helps the scap rotate upwards (the usual action when you reach above your head. Repeat several times.

You should feel as if "you have more space in your armpits".

A physio taught me this little trick. It was her favourite way to treat subscap.