Deep pain along the posterior surface of the shoulder joint that intensifies with arm movements, which is especially common in drivers, tennis players, volleyballers, and skiers. This pain can come from the trigger points of the Teres Major muscle. My name is Dr. Chernov, let’s handle this pain!
Teres Major Anatomy and Function
The Teres Major muscle is located in the axillary region and gets attached by one end to the scapula near its lower corner and by the other end to the humerus.
The Teres Major is involved in internal rotation of the arm, upper limb adduction, and arm extension from a position of flexion.
Teres Major Trigger Points Diagram
Trigger points in the Teres Major muscle cause pain in the middle part of deltoid region and along the back surface of the shoulder.
They can also reflect pain in the inside of the shoulder joint from behind and sometimes along the rear surface of the forearm. The pain increases with motion of the arm and such pain is common in drivers, especially when driving a heavy vehicle without power steering. The pain may also occur when striking a tennis ball with a racket, when hitting a ball during volleyball game, or when working with ski poles.
Testing of the Teres Major Muscle
A person with a problematic Teres Major muscle cannot fully abduct the upper limb and press it against the ear on the affected side. When doing a wrapping test as shown on the video, you does not reach the corner of the mouth like 1.5-2 inches.
The Latissimus Dorsi muscle and the long head of the Triceps Brachii muscle together form a functional unit. When you find trigger points in the Teres Major, it is very common to find triggers in these very muscles as well.
Teres Major Muscle Relief
For releasing pain at home, you need to apply a mechanical pressure on the area of the Teres Major muscle and then stretch it out. Take a large foam roller and place it in the armpit area. Tilt the body slightly backwards and move back and forth for a few minutes, rolling the muscle and also affecting the area at the edge of the scapula.
To intensify the effect, bend your arm, place it on the back of the head and fix it with the opposite hand. For point impact, Use a large massage ball of 4.5-5 inches and hold for 30-60 seconds in areas of tension.
The simplest exercise that stretches the Teres Major muscle is putting the arm behind the head and fixing the shoulder with the opposite hand. Hold the final position for 1-2 minutes and then repeat on the other side. It would be even better to perform this exercise in the shower under a stream of warm water.
For dynamic stretching of the Teres Major muscle and improving the mobility of the shoulder joint, you can use special exercises from the wellness gymnastic CHERENOK. Place a “cherenok” or a bottle of water at the level of the pelvis, palms facing the sacrum. As you inhale, move your hand upward, with an exhalation return to the starting position, pass the object to your left hand and inhaling, move it upward.Â
When you exhaling return to the starting position. This is 1 cycle of the exercise. Do around 5-10 repetitions.
Static exercises of the wellness gymnastic STRING with final fixation for 1-2 minutes, in which there is an arm abduction or adduction with a wrist grip behind the back will also help to stretch the Teres Major muscle.
To prevent complete shortening of the Teres Major muscle during sleep, you should place a small pillow on the affected side between the elbow joint and the body.
I also recommend watching the video about the supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles, which may also be the cause of pain in the shoulder and the shoulder joint.
