A shoulder blade squeeze is a posture move that takes strain off a sore neck: stand tall, pull your shoulder blades back and down for 5 seconds, 10 times.
Not every exercise is for every patient. The ones meant for you carry a check mark on the home sheet your physician fills out; stick to those, morning and evening, every day, unless the sheet gives you a different schedule.
What are the steps for the shoulder blade squeeze?
- Get set: Stand up straight, elbows bent and tucked at your sides.
- Move: Draw both shoulder blades back and downward, closer together, as though a pencil were tucked between them.
- How many: Hold for 5 seconds. Do 10.
How does the shoulder blade squeeze help you recover?
Weak muscles between the shoulder blades hand extra work to the neck. This squeeze turns those muscles on. It matters most for people who drive for a living or sit for long stretches at work.
If your neck pain is worse at a desk, our guide to desk work with neck pain pairs well with this exercise.
Which mistakes should you watch for?
- Lifting your shoulders toward your ears rather than back and down.
- Arching your low back to make the move look bigger.
- Holding your breath during the squeeze.
When should you stop and call us?
Feeling a stretch, a bit of ache, or next-day stiffness is expected and fine. Stop the exercise and call us if you notice any of these:
- Sharp or stabbing pain
- Pain that jumps 2 or more points above your usual and lasts over an hour
- New numbness, tingling or weakness
- Dizziness or a change in your vision
Call 911 right away for chest pain, fainting or trouble breathing.
Why does your exercise log matter?
Each time you finish your exercises, tick the box on your log, and jot your pain number down once a day. The log rides along to every visit. Your technician adds up your days, has you demonstrate one exercise so form can be checked, and enters that tally in the visit note, right beside the treatments.
What to remember
- Back and down, never up.
- Breathe the whole time.
- Five seconds, ten times.
Show us you have it: Do a squeeze for your technician with your elbows at your sides. If any part is unclear, ask us to go over it again; there is no limit on that.
Other neck exercises in the program
This page belongs to the Gateway Midwest physician-directed physiotherapy program. On Natural Bridge Road, the physician who examined you signs each order, and no treatment runs without a physician on site.
Hurt in an accident? Start here.
You do not need a lawyer, a police report or a referral to be seen. Bring your symptoms and we will work out the rest.
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Same-day appointments are often available for new accident and injury patients.