1st Rib and Trap Lacrosse Ball Release

Video Transcript

Hey everyone, Dr. Alibhai here from Stuart Chiropractic. I’m going to show you an exercise using a lacrosse ball. If you don’t have one at home, we’ve probably given you one, or you can buy one on your own. I prefer to use a firmer ball like a lacrosse ball instead of a tennis ball because it’s a bit too soft for adults.

You’re going to use this to release the first rib and the trap muscle, which sits right on the fleshy part of the shoulder here. You’re not going to be in front on the collarbone or on the pec. You’ll be right on top where you feel those trigger points. So, you’re releasing through these points here, and you’ll need to adopt a very aggressive stance.

You’ll get into a split squat stance to gain some leverage. I’ve got my left foot forward and my right leg back. If you’re releasing your right shoulder, your left foot should be forward, and you’ll place the ball on a painful spot. It’s a trigger point and it’s sore for a reason—it needs some TLC.

Now, lean your body weight into the wall. Take a deep breath in, and breathe out as you exert pressure with your body into the ball. The pain right now might be about a 10. Let your arm dangle to the ground while maintaining the pressure. With every breath, allow your shoulder to relax even further.

I’ll demonstrate this position for the left shoulder now. So the right leg is forward, left leg is back. Place the ball right in the gristly spot on your shoulder that you’re feeling. Good. Let the arm dangle. Use your body to exert pressure onto the ball, take a deep breath in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

You can see my hand reaching towards the ground even further. Good. This should be very comfortable for you. This technique is great for managing neck pain, shoulder pain, and headaches. If you find this too challenging, you can simply place the ball against the back of your shoulder and lean your body weight into it.

The further you keep your feet from the wall, the more pressure you will apply. Just lean in like this and make it a relaxing exercise. Take a deep breath in, breathe out. I like to add movement where maybe I’m bringing my arm across my body to get more of a stretch, or I’m moving it up and down.

Any motion while exerting pressure helps pull those muscle fibers apart. I hope this is helpful for you. Let me know how it goes. Take care. Bye now.