Latissimus Dorsi

That beautiful back muscle … swimmers tend to have very well developed ‘lats’ … this muscle is what ‘Lat Pull Downs’ are named for.

How do you know if you have a problem here? Well, to keep it simple … most of us do! This muscle overlies many entities … many layers of muscles, several pairs of bones and even internal organs. So, if you have a problem down deep, it frequently manifests itself in the most superficial muscle of that area … which would be the lats. (Unhappy ribs = unhappy lats!)

Posture also affects  lats. (Or do the lats affect posture?)  When we slump forward … at a desk, in front of the computer, on a bike, or even just walking … the lats start to get stretched out. Problems develop in muscles when they stretch out too much. Granted, we don’t generally experience tears up here like we do down in our legs. Due to the number of layers we have here, other entities will ‘give’ before the lats tear. (Ribs are commonly affected.)

The ability to reach overhead is one we all want to maintain for as long as possible. The INability to reach overhead implicates the lats (and the underlying layers).

If you are having shoulder problems, come and see me. Let’s make sure the lats aren’t causing your issues.