[Guitar and stiff shoulders] Things guitarists should know their body.

Hello! My name is Fujioka Takuto, and I am a guitarist who can ”perform therapy”.

By the way,
Do you get stiff shoulders?

Stiff shoulders, which are said to be a "national illness" in Japan rather than a modern illness. The direct causes of stiff shoulders are said to be "muscle fatigue" and "poor blood circulation", but these causes are related to various factors such as posture and stress.

This time I would like to write about the relationship between stiff shoulders and the guitar!
Perhaps your stiff shoulders are caused by playing the guitar.....
If you are a guitarist, and suffering from stiff shoulders, please read it to the end! I'm sure you will discover the cause!

■ Posture

I think that people tend to stoop when playing the guitar. When I say “stoop”, the below movements happen.

Since the human body is designed to move in tandem, for example, if the pelvis tilts backward, the scapula will also abduct and move in the downward rotation direction.
Therefore, just because you have stiff shoulders does not mean that your stiff shoulders will get better by massaging.
The cause is often hidden in a different place from where the symptom actually appears!

Maybe you're stooping when you play the guitar?!! Please pay attention to your posture once. Keeping the same posture for a long time puts a lot of strain on your body!

■ What muscles causes stiff shoulders?

It is often said that the"trapezius muscle"is the muscle which causes stiff shoulders.
There are so many muscles around the scapula, but the trapezius muscle is so large and wide.

I think that the cause of stiff shoulders varies from person to person, but this time I will point out one muscle that is likely to cause stiff shoulders.

It is a muscle calledthe pectoralis minor.

This is the inner muscle in the shoulder whose role is to pull down the scapula

This pectoralis minor muscle often becomes stiff if you stoop for a long time with the shoulders moved inward (scapula abduction, downward rotation).

In addition, the pectoralis minor muscle is connected to the muscle that moves the fingers, which is connected to the arm with the fascia.
Therefore, if the pectoralis minor muscles become stiff, tendonitis is likely to occur, and the muscles related to the arms and fingers may also be adversely affected.

■ Stretching the pectoralis minor

Let's stretch the pectoralis minor!
First, stretch using the wall.

・Raise your arm and put your hand on the wall.
・With your arm fixed, lean forward a little and extend your chest.
・Slowly stretch for 10 to 20 seconds.

I think you will feel your muscles are stretched, so be careful not to overdo it, and keep it with a painful stimulus(￣^￣)ゞ

If there is no wall nearby, please touch the muscles and massage by referring to the picture above. I think that will also loosen the muscles, and you will feel better.

In addition to playing the guitar, those who do a lot of desk work such as home recording tend to be stooped for a long time and get tired. Please try stretching the pectoralis minor!
I hope that you will feel better and have a better music life!
Bye now ~!