The Serratus Anterior by Daniel Dominguez L.AC

The Serratus Anterior by Daniel Dominguez L.AC

 
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)
Arterial Supply: Circumflex scapular artery

Photos and above information from washington.edu

This is a muscle that I came to know very well while treating athletes at the 2017 Catalyst Games.  This is a CrossFit style competition that draws 500+ athletes to its event in Rochester, New York. 

I assessed over 40 athletes with shoulder injuries that day while working at the Catalyst Games.  Across the board every athlete with a shoulder injury regardless of the main cause had weakness of the Serratus Anterior. 

With over 6 years of treating athletes, I've seen this time and time again. If an injury occurs to the shoulder regardless if it is shoulder impingement, labrum tear, shoulder strain or rotator cuff injury. The first muscle to shut down and the last to turn back on is the Serrates anterior.(SA)

This is known as motor inhibition. A common disorder that is caused by 3 main things. 1. Overuse, 2 posture 3 Injury due to trauma.  Why is this muscle so important? It is one of the main contributors to scapular control and protraction. Also known as the big swing muscle or boxers muscle. 

It is innervated by the long thoracic nerve and also a common muscle of dysfunction in young female athletes with scapular winging.  Often over worked in crossfit due to pull ups and over head lifts or throwing sports. As well as boxing and volleyball. 

I have seen weakness of the SA in shoulder and elbow injuries. If you lack scapular control you are also prone to Levator/trap tightness due to an anterior scapular tilt. This is more common in athletes that sit at a desk during the day. We like to think that the one hour we spend working out will off set the 8 hours at a desk but Unfortunately that is not the case. 

The specific style of acupuncture practiced at Buffalo Orthopedic & Sports Acupuncture (Locations in Buffalo and Rochester) can restore motor inhibition and strengthen a muscle quickly to return athletes to competition in as few as 1-5 weeks depending on the severity of the injury. 

I think a misconception I see commonly is that all acupuncture is the same. I can guarantee you that there are maybe 3-4 people that know how to effectively restore function to these muscles  in Upstate New York and if they do I have taught them. 

Please message me if you have questions about your shoulder/elbow or wrist injury  and how sports acupuncture can help you recover and return you to sport FAST! 

If you are an acupuncturist reading this and have questions please visit https://www.chinesemedicinethatworks.com/workshops-2 and sign up for seminars taught by Richard Hazel and myself if you would like to know how to take your clinical skills to the next level. We will be in San Francisco in March, Dublin, Ireland in April and Syracuse 3-4 times over the course of 2018. 

#sportsacupuncutre #orthopedicacupuncutre #acupuncture #dryneedling #buffaloacupuncture #poweredbybosa #shoulderinjuries #alternativemedicine #bosa

Dan Dominguez can be found on Facebook as well as his Instagram account "thesportsacu".  Dan is currently seeing clients in both Buffalo and Rochester.