Glute Imbalance and Scapular Winging

http://posturedirect.com/how-to-fix-a-winged-scapula/

I've been doing level 1 for a month now and I actually feel my left scap retracting more now. My left scap and pecs get sore and I feel uncomfortable if I don't stand/sit up straight. Whenever I do the exercises though, I still feel "impingement" in the area underneath my left armpit. Should I stay on level 1, or progress to level 2 regardless?

Hi Ian,

Thanks so much for your response. I really appreciate all the help and support you've given me during this tough time in my life.

Although you haven't "cured" my problem, you've given me a lot of insight into my body, such as my rotated pelvis. You've given me some exercises that temporarily take away the pain and you've told me how I should be sitting and standing in my daily life.

With that being said, I do have some final questions for you before I find another health professional:

If I don't use a towel, is there anything else I could use? I feel like if I spend money on something, I'll be more likely to use it. A towel is sort of flimsy and very hard to notice. Maybe I should just use a thicker, bigger towel? I dunno. Links or pics would be greatly appreciated.

I can’t remember specifically asking you to use a towel to sit on Darren? But if it’s to correct an up slip of the pelvis, there aren’t any specific devices that I know of that are available to purchase.


I haven't been squatting at all. I just tried randomly the other day in hopes I would've improved, but it still led to pain running down my left leg. I might make a followup appointment to see the chiropractor who prescribed me the orthotics that are meant to compensate for my leg length discrepancy to see what he says about the pain. The fact is that I have an overactive left hamstring and left hip, underactive left glutes.

Before making that assumption, get the chiropractor or kinesiologist to manually test this Darren!! Our subjective feeling of tightness, weakness etc etc are not in any way accurate! I have patients on a daily basis who think the opposite of what is actually happening.


I also Googled "rotated pelvis Vancouver" and it came up with this article, written by a chiropractor at Vitality Clinic: https://vitalityclinic.ca/short-leg-syndrome-sls/

Short Leg Syndrome (SLS) | Vitality Clinic - Chiropractic and Sports Therapy, Yaletown, Vancouver
Many individuals develop imbalance and pain as a result of a leg-length discrepancy.. If one leg is longer, it is similar to driving around with one car tire slightly larger than the others.
vitalityclinic.ca
It seems like she knows what she's talking about, so I may go see her as well.

Yeah that sounds like a good resource for sure!


Lastly, in regards to scapular retraining, I Googled "shoulder kinesiologist Vancouver" and it came up with this article, written by a personal trainer at Le Physique: https://www.lephysique.com/shoulder-rehabilitation-exercises/

Le Physique | Vancouver Personal Training | Shoulder Rehabilitation Exercises
Got shoulder pain? Don’t worry – you aren’t the only one! Shoulder injuries are common amongst athletes and older individuals. I am a competitive dragon boater and experience shoulder pain regularly. It is often associated with poor technique and over training. An effective shoulder conditioning…
www.lephysique.com
Le Physique is a rehabilitation centre in False Creek run by kinesiologists and personal trainers. They also offer a type of treatment there called Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT), so I just sent them an email about my problem to see what they think.

Before I saw you, I was seeing Cameron Bennett at West Point Grey Physiotherapy. He's a physiotherapist who specializes in shoulder issues. However, the exercises he prescribed me just led to pain in my left scap (push-ups, bent-over rows, etc.). He said visually, there was nothing wrong with the way my scaps moved, but if I'm still having issues after doing his exercises, he would start to treat my neck. I'm unsure whether or not I should book a followup appointment with him.

I wouldn’t Darren. Those exercises sound very rudimentary for someone who is supposed to be a shoulder specialist.

What are your thoughts on all this? I know this was a really long email and I really appreciate everything you've done for me so far. I promise I'll stop bothering you after this. I'm just really determined to fix my problem, but am feeling a bit lost as usual.

My thoughts are quite simple at this point.. you should see someone who is going to manually muscle test the strength and length of muscles of the pelvic and shoulder girdle, accurately determine what is weak and start rehabilitating that.

Thanks Darren and best of luck!!

Ian

So I just saw my chiropractor today and he disagrees with my osteopath: he says that my problem is structural, not functional.

For example, he adjusted my pelvis and showed me that my leg length discrepancy still existed.

He said that I was born that way and because my left foot is also flatter than my right, my left glute will always be tighter than my right.

There is no way to fix a flat foot.

There is no way to fix my rotated pelvis.

My problem is structural, not functional.

I just don't know who or what to believe anymore...

After doing the PRI exercises, I am no longer stuck in the left AIC pattern.

These 3 exercises allowed me to get out of the left AIC pattern:

1. 90/90 hip shift
2. right sidelying adductor respiratory pullback
3. right clamshells + single leg glute bridge

Now, I am doing a modified clamshell exercise on my left glute to try to get it firing. However, I am worried that it will not work.

Also, I am still experiencing dyskinesis in my left scapula. I don't know what else to do. My osteopath said my scapula was uneven, but I fixed it by doing his exercises. Still, I am experiencing pain in my left arm after exercising.

I may have to get an MRI or a CT scan to see if there's something going on inside of me that we can't see. I'll talk to my osteopath the next time I see him.