Stiff Upper Back? It Could Be Weakening Your Scapular Stabilisers
Key insights: 60-second read
- Your scapular stabilisers may not be the primary problem - if your upper back is stiff or restricted, the muscles that control your shoulder blade may not function as effectively as they could.
- Test before you treat - establish how a movement feels before addressing any upper-back stiffness, then repeat it afterwards to see whether anything has actually changed.
- An upper-back ball release can be a useful first step - the aim is to improve the mobility of the tissues and joints around the upper back before asking the scapular stabilisers to work harder.
- Then retrain the scapular stabilisers - a simple prone exercise can help develop the strength and control needed to support better shoulder-blade function.
- Don't ignore what you do all day - prolonged positions such as computer work, phone use and driving may contribute to upper-back stiffness and should form part of the bigger picture.
If you've been told that your scapular stabilisers are weak, but struggle to feel them working, the problem may not simply be a lack of strength. In my clinical experience, stiffness and restriction through the upper back can affect how effectively these muscles function.
Rather than just throwing more strength exercises into the mix, we need to establish whether better upper-back mobility changes how the shoulder blade and its supporting muscles function.
The key is to test, treat and retest. If freeing up your upper back immediately makes a scapular exercise feel easier or more natural, that gives you useful information about what may be contributing to your movement problem.
Here's how I approach it clinically:
On this page
The Upper Back–Scapular Connection
When someone has difficulty feeling their scapular stabilisers working, it's easy to assume that those muscles are just weak and need to be strengthened.
But I don't think we should automatically assume that the muscles themselves are the whole problem. The shoulder blade sits on the rib cage, and the mobility and condition of the tissues and joints around the upper back can influence how the scapula and its supporting muscles function.
So, if your upper back is particularly stiff or restricted, it can be worth addressing that restriction first and then seeing whether your scapular movement or muscle activation changes.
If you can't feel your scapular stabilisers working, don't automatically assume that weakness is the whole problem. Sometimes the first thing worth addressing is the stiffness around them.
Test Your Scapular Function First
Before doing any treatment or exercise, establish a baseline. Choose a movement or scapular exercise that you can use to judge how your shoulder blade feels and functions.
Pay attention to how easy the movement feels. Can you feel the muscles working? Does the movement feel restricted? Is one side noticeably different from the other?
Then we'll address the upper back and immediately repeat the same test to see if anything genuinely changes.
Clinical tip: If the movement noticeably changes after addressing your upper-back restriction, your upper back may be an important contributor to what you're experiencing.
Free Up Your Upper Back
The first exercise I demonstrate above is an upper-back mobility exercise using a ball. The goal isn't simply to find the most painful spot and attack it. Instead, we're looking for areas that feel particularly stiff, restricted or different when compared to the other side.
How to Do the Upper-Back Ball Release
- Position the ball: Place a ball between your shoulder blades, slightly to one side rather than directly on the bony spine.
- Find a restricted area: Look for a spot that feels stiff, tight, dense or restricted compared with the surrounding area or the other side.
- Let the area settle: Take a couple of slow, deep breaths and allow the ball to work into the restricted tissue.
- Work around the area: Gradually move the ball towards the rib-joint region and explore other areas of restriction.
- Add movement if comfortable: You can gently move your arm through its available range while maintaining contact with the ball.
Once you've finished, re-test the movement or scapular exercise you tested earlier.
If the movement now feels smoother, easier or more natural, that's useful information. It suggests that improving the upper-back mobility may have changed the way you're able to use your scapular stabilisers.
Retrain the Scapular Stabilisers
Once you've addressed any upper-back restriction, the next step is to put those scapular stabilisers to work.
The prone exercise demonstrated in the video above is deliberately simple. The aim is to practise bringing the shoulder blades back and developing the ability to hold that position under muscular effort.
How to Do the Prone Scapular Exercise
- Set up: Lie on your stomach with your arms beside you. Keep your forehead supported on the floor or a small towel.
- Start with the shoulder blades: Gently draw your shoulders back, thinking about the shoulder blades moving towards each other.
- Hold: Maintain the position for around 30 seconds while focusing on the muscles around the shoulder blades.
- Progress: Once you can perform this comfortably, squeeze the shoulder blades back first and then lift your hands from the floor.
- Repeat: Perform 2–3 sets, working towards a controlled muscular fatigue rather than simply chasing a large range of movement.
The goal isn't just to move the shoulder blades. It's to progressively teach the scapular stabilisers to do their job better.
Progress to a Banded Exercise
Once you've developed some control with the prone exercise, you can progress to a standing banded exercise. This gives the scapular stabilisers a more functional challenge and allows you to gradually introduce resistance.
How to Do the Banded Scapular Exercise
- Set up: Stand tall with a slight bend through your hips and knees while holding the resistance band.
- Create tension: Step back far enough that there is already some tension in the band.
- Pull with the shoulder blades: Focus on bringing your shoulders back rather than simply pulling the arms backwards.
- Control the range: If your shoulder position starts to deteriorate, reduce the range of movement or decrease the resistance.
The progression is important. We're not just trying to hammer the scapular stabilisers with as much resistance as possible. We're trying to build better control and capacity while maintaining good movement quality.
Don't Ignore Your Daily Positions
If freeing up your upper back makes your scapular movement noticeably better, I would then ask a very simple question: why did your upper back become stiff in the first place?
For many people, part of the answer may be the positions they spend hours in every day. Computer work, phone use, tablet use, driving and other prolonged activities can all involve sustained positions where the shoulders drop forward, and the upper back remains rounded.
This doesn't mean that there is one universally “bad” posture, or that you need to hold yourself rigidly upright all day. Rather, if you repeatedly spend long periods in one position and your upper back becomes increasingly stiff, it is worth considering whether changing your movement habits could help.
Key concept: Strengthening the scapular stabilisers may be useful, but it shouldn't necessarily be the only thing you address. If upper-back stiffness is contributing to how those muscles function, improving the mobility of the upper back and considering your daily movement habits may be equally important.
If you struggle to feel your scapular stabilisers working, don't automatically assume that they're weak.
Try looking at the bigger picture. Establish a baseline, address any obvious restriction through the upper back, and then retest the same movement. If it changes, you've learned something useful about your individual problem.
From there, progressively strengthen the scapular stabilisers and consider the daily positions and activities that may be contributing to the stiffness in the first place.
– Grant
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a stiff upper back affect my scapular stabilisers?
It can. Upper-back stiffness and restriction may affect how the shoulder blade moves and how effectively the surrounding muscles can function. This is why it can be useful to address upper-back mobility and then retest your scapular movement rather than assuming that weakness is the only issue.
How do I know whether my upper back is contributing to the problem?
One practical approach is to establish a baseline movement, address the upper-back restriction and immediately repeat the movement. If you notice a meaningful improvement in how the movement feels or functions, that provides useful information that the upper back may be contributing.
What exercise should I start with for weak scapular stabilisers?
The prone scapular exercise demonstrated in the video is a simple starting point. Begin by drawing the shoulder blades back and holding the position, then progress to lifting the hands once you have developed sufficient control.
Should I strengthen my scapular stabilisers if my upper back is stiff?
Strengthening may still be useful, but it may be worth addressing the upper-back stiffness first if it appears to be restricting your movement or affecting muscle function. The test–retest approach can help determine whether improving upper-back mobility changes your ability to perform the exercise.
What if improving my upper-back mobility doesn't change anything?
If your movement doesn't change after addressing the upper back, it may suggest that upper-back stiffness isn't a major contributor to your particular problem. That's useful information too. A physiotherapy assessment can help identify other factors that may be affecting your shoulder or scapular function.
One key insight from this video
If your scapular stabilisers don't feel like they're working, don't automatically assume they're weak. Establish a baseline, address any relevant upper-back restriction, and retest. The change - or lack of change - can tell you something useful about what may be contributing to your problem.
Need personalised guidance for your shoulder or upper-back problem?
If you would like help understanding your shoulder pain, scapular dysfunction, upper-back stiffness or another musculoskeletal issue, you can book with Grant either in Port Macquarie or via an online telehealth consultation.
