Subscap can be a tricky muscle to palpate and is an essential skill to have in treating shoulders. Watch the video and learn a fool-proof way of finding it!

Judy is a warm and generous 69 year old quilter who is coming to me for neck and shoulder issues. During the intake she told me she works with a personal trainer once a week. “That’s terrific!” I said. I’m always happy when people are committed to their self-care. I ASSUMED that her trainer had her doing scapulae stabilization exercises.

During our first session I discovered while trying to work with her subscap and serratus anterior that her scapula was so protracted and anteriorly tilted that I could barely palpate either muscle.

After our session I asked her some detailed questions about what exercises she was doing with her personal trainer. I showed her about five examples of scapulae stabilization exercises. “No, she doesn’t have me doing anything like that.” Judy said. “Ah, never assume!,” I thought to myself.

Below are some issues that arise when the scapulae are glued to the thorax:

• The scapulae are not able to glide on...