Difficulty lifting your arm? Check your teres major

Great book for learning more about trigger points: amzn.to/2CGgbPC (affiliate)
If you are having difficulty lifting your arm it could be a result of tightness and trigger points in the teres major muscle. Learn how to palpate, identify trigger points, treat them, and finally how to stretch the teres major.
Interested in additional shoulder exercises and treatment tips? Find out more at www.exercisesf...
Instantly download a complete shoulder rehab guide for only $4.95 to learn:
• How our thoughts and words effect our pain and rate of improvement
• Role of posture in shoulder pain
• Special section on Frozen Shoulder
• Best sleeping position when you have shoulder pain
• The importance of belly or diaphragmatic breathing
• Exercises to improve posture
• Pictures and video of all exercises
Please leave any questions below in the comment section, thanks ~ Ed Deboo, PT
Bellingham Physical Therapy

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Looking for a complete A-Z shoulder rehab program that connects all the dots? Please check out my course, thanks! 30 day money back guarantee! www.udemy.com/course/learn-to-strengthen-and-bullet-proof-your-shoulders/?referralCode=00DA252125C0CCDE0EAE

[@lisaholland6111]

Thank you!! Had a shoulder clean out in March 24', and now have super tight teres major. Been trying to work it out on my own! My ROM has been so limited and this helps tremendously!

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Awesome happy to help!

[@Jay_aydg]

Omg i finally found what i have i cant sleep right now cause it hurts so bad

[@FrontRowwithEd]

I hope the exercise helps you!

[@jendub9892]

I work at a retail store and I have to work out approximately 1,100 pieces between only 2 workers every week. It takes a toll on my shoulder, back, and arms. You have seriously saved me with this video. Thank you so much!! My pain has eased up since I found your video!🙌

[@FrontRowwithEd]

That is awesome Caleb, happy to help!

[@JTron83]

Efficient video. Straight to the point, no bs. Thank you.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

You are very welcome, I hope it helps

[@jeffersonabangan9832]

Bro you're a life saver, God bless you.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Hey Jefferson, happy to help!

[@gregoryvanhalen]

Thank you buddy. I’m in so much pain I couldn’t take it anymore and this helped

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Glad it helped!

[@jonelpolot3459]

Teres major is one of many back muscles that gave horrendous pain after back workout or handstand session.

[@be.legendary0520]

Thank you so much for your videos!!! Your are healing us in soooo many ways!

[@FrontRowwithEd]

You are very welcome!

[@dorydiavelone3531]

Sir you are amazingly wonderful just found your videos and have subscribed working out my shoulder issue thank you so very much !!

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Excellent, welcome!

[@fatimamalik611]

Woww.....plz keep making more n more videos. .... Thank a lot

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Hi Fatima, I'm happy you like the videos, I will try to keep making them!

[@TravelinArtBook]

Nice technique for releasing this muscle. I've been having a lot of lat tightness for years and I think this muscle needs special attention as well. When you said lock the scapula that sound like that will work and also I think activating the serratus anterior (which mines is rather weak right now) will help lock that scapula as well.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Absolutely!

[@dontreadmyname4396]

@@FrontRowwithEd could the teres major be a reason to why when pressing overhead one scapula does not protract upwards as much as the other one?? when i press overhead the good side scapula protracts upwards correctly and zero discomfort, while the bad side it gets stuck mid way, that bad side also often internally rotates in pressing exercises causing discomfort/weakness and dislocates a bit when rowing if i go too far with that arm i have a visually smaller teres major on that weak/bad side compared to the strong/good side (bad side teres major is half the size of the good side), how do i fix this?

[@carterstamm7770]

Excellent video Ed.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Thanks Carter! Hope it helped you

[@ninjabeatz905]

Thank you

[@FrontRowwithEd]

You're welcome!

[@annejocson8097]

Hi Ed, you should make video about elbow pain and what exercise or stretching can be done. I have elbow pain and it hurts when I fold my arm. I bought a brace but it is just a temporary fix.

[@crankyboiy]

Teres major/lats and PEC minor are the main reason for stiff shoulders and lack of ROM especially if you lift weights. A better way is to lie down on a 5 pound dumbbell on the trigger points. It works better than using a wall.

[@gtoneable]

Nice info. Yea the first time I used a self massage ball on this particular muscle I felt pretty miserable, ha. After my massage session, I felt like a sore achy pain around my upper back shoulder blade. I felt like punching a wall the pain was so nagging.🤬

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Stay with it, it gets better!

[@sharonboehm5296]

i found your video helpful. i had a bicep tenotomy a week ago and although im improving each day - the teres major and axilla area areas have been quite painful. i know what to do now.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Excellent Sharon, happy to help. Hope you heal up fast!

[@ONS3T]

the question is, why my teres minor/major pain :/ maybe from my CMD?

[@ajitesh764]

Nice video, to the point. Btw you should have demonstrated with your shirt off

[@RoxusRemo]

I've had a mystery shoulder/lat dysfunction for 2 years now. Have a feeling it could be related to this. I get some very audible snaps when i raise my hand high and lots of deep tightness when i hang from a bar on my right lat/armpit area. I'm going to try massage/work on this . Thanks

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Hey Matt, yes, I do think working the teres major and lat trigger points may help. Let me know if it helps, good luck ~ Ed

[@jrajesh11]

@@FrontRowwithEd I am not able to bring my left hand bend towards the back of my spine . I think I was lying down on my left hand with the whole body weight when I slept. This has been present for 4 months now. After doing some exercises by having a pillow support on my lower back and catch the left hand with the right hand on my back. I'm able to bring my left hand behind the back though not able to fold it like the right hand. But now I'm not able to fully lift my left hand straight like just raising a hand. It stops at 60 deg and any twist on trying to move more hurts it. I tried using pain balms it seems to work. But I have not yet taken any nsaid pills to rectify it. Could this be a terse major issue? Please let me know if there are simple exercises to fix it

[@MM-ij6ld]

What if it doesn’t hurt to straighten my arm overhead but it hurts to pull it back down?

[@Add_Account485]

Actually it feels sore and bruises in the area u said to feel for the teres major?

[@Add_Account485]

After doing the wall stretch for both sides.. one arm hurts up above my blade now on my shoulder back.. and the other side made my arm feel more loose ; & not a good loose. Cause one shoulder allready feels loose but feels bruises in rhe spot you said to feel so its done my head in.. beyond my understanding what happened. Can anyone help?

[@henriettahenson]

Hi ed i am a hairdresser @always get so much pain after aday in salon because of keeping my arms up most of the day ...will this help with this ?...i feel like some one is sticking a red hot poker into my shoulder..is there any thing else i can do ..thanks x

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Hi Gillian, sorry to hear about your shoulder and arm pain, but hairdressing is hard work! This is what I would suggest: I would recommend watching a few of the other videos I have done about shoulders and postures FIRST. You need to be hyper vigilant with your posture "scapula in the back pocket" link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3nRiWiQfc6hgrM Then get a foam roller and do this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4eqhIulatF0htU then do this kzbin.info/www/bejne/enuxoaCEabN7mbc Finally finish with rotator cuff strengthening exercises as shown here kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3W8eWuEjZKohKc I know it seems like a lot, but it will take work and commitment , there is no easy fix. Please watch and try the above and let me know how you are progressing, ok? ~ Ed

[@CCmccomb92]

I had some shoulder pain for a couple of weeks. Today I was hitting a PR deadlift, and I felt something tear or pull right up into my armpit, I now have pain on palpation running from my tricep into upper lats. It hurts reaching up. No real pain with my arms by my side, but I couldn't do a pull up after the deadlifts because of pain in the upper lat. Any advice is much appreciated.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Hello Chris, thanks for the question, but sorry about your shoulder. I think you are on the right track with checking out your teres minor. Try the trigger point work and stretching for about a week, checking to see if the tenderness decreases. If the tenderness starts to lessen, then recheck your functional ability to see if it changes. Also, check for tenderness in the supraspinatus tendon as experience has taught me to always check and treat this area (if even only minor tenderness is present) as this muscle is so vital for normal shoulder function. If we have some tightness here, it can have a negative domino effect. Here's the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2iYdJ9ogNplf7s Check it out and let me know if it's involved (either tight or tender) Good luck ~ Ed

[@Diegoaub]

Hey man I had this exact issue and its really freaking me out. How's your injury now?

[@CCmccomb92]

Completely fine now, I sometimes feel the area where my tricep meets my lat tighten up a bit if I'm doing pull-ups or back rows, but only ever during a set, I have full strength and mobility but just more careful now, don't want it happening again'. Took a couple of weeks for the pain to go away and to gain full mobility, and took a bit longer before I was happy to load the area again in the gym.

[@Diegoaub]

@@CCmccomb92 That's great to hear. I re-aggravated it yesterday by deadlifting too heavy. As soon as I heal I'm sticking to pull ups for a bit.

[@at-cj2iy]

Don't lift too heavy when it comes to your shoulders

[@koreaahmed191]

I have strain grad 1 in this area what can i do ?and what is recovery time?

[@goldenretriever6261]

I'm a cyclist I have trouble lifting my left arm to signal turning left, and my right hip flexor is tight. Are they connected?

[@deez_gainz]

Great video! How to find out if someone has teres major/back strain or a trigger point? Do the same massaging procedure fit them both?

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Yes, I would do the same procedure for either one, see if it helps, keep me posted

[@jakebenner5917]

This is very helpful! I’ve had pain here for awhile, I mainly feel it while doing lay movements like pull-ups (mainly wide ones) and very much in pushing chest movements, like bench press or push ups. Would this cause overall shoulder pain aside from the pinpoint pain in the teres major?

[@omgjoseph7931]

Do you still have it? If not then how did you heal it?

[@glenng725]

How do you know its not a placebo reaponse?

[@SAMMIsLIFE]

Whatever the muscle infront of my armpit is, thats what hurts lol.. the one that connects the shoulder to the chest. And the one in the back as well behind my armpit hurts too. ..idk if its the teres muscles, the pectoralis muscles, or the dorsi.. but its only on my right arm and it started yesterday. My right arm was hurting too and the muscles in my arm are still kinda sore.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Try to do some trigger point work and stretching as see if you can get the tenderness to decrease Good luck ~ Ed

[@aminemechri6418]

Hey,I have muscle ters major is swollen and I have trouble lifting my hands up..my problem it's why so swollen

[@eolund5]

Are there any workouts you recommend doing to deactivate this muscle? Any opposing movements will calm it from over firing?

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Hey there, thanks for the question. Can I ask why you want to "deactivate" this muscle?

[@eolund5]

Front Row with Ed and Elizabeth I feel like it’s getting over used and compressing too much when I do bench, presses and pullups

[@FrontRowwithEd]

@@eolund5 I see, good point. However, my thoughts are that we don't want to "deactivate" the muscle as much as we need to figure out why it's firing so much. "Deactivation" of the teres would affect your overall shoulder performance. Simple things I would do first as the teres could be trying to compensate for other, not quite so obvious things: Check the length and flexibility of your supraspinatus tendon, if it's tight, treat it kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2iYdJ9ogNplf7s Next, check your passive shoulder internal and external rotation and correct any differences between the effected and non-effected side. Then check for tightness of the subscapularis as this muscle can be very problematic, here's how kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6qwpmWPipqNlc0 Finally, hang from a bar and notice any increased tightness of the lats, rib cage, or any pain from side to side. Try all that and get back to me ~ Ed

[@eolund5]

Front Row with Ed and Elizabeth thanks for the response! I checked the supraspinatus tendon and the flexibility seemed decent but it was a little tender, I’ll work on that. As far as the subscap, I did locate some tender spots in the armpit but I’m having a hard time determining what tendon/muscle. It seems tender where a bunch of tendons come together, almost by my tricep. I didn’t notice anything deep in armpit. When I hang I notice the tightness in that same spot and maybe a touch along the rib cage below/behind the bottom of my lat.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

@@eolund5 First of all, what's your name? It's always nice to know who I'm talking to. I would focus on normalizing the sides of your shoulders best you can. So that would mean doing the trigger point work more by the tricep region (as opposed to the arm pit) , keep working on the supraspinatus stretching and cross friction massage until it feel like the unaffected side, and keep hanging until the flexibility is normalized. Many times in orthopedic issues it's "a bit from here, a bit from there" so we try to eliminate variables as much as possible. This tends to clear up the clinical picture as the symptoms usually then narrow. Sound good? ~ Ed

[@mirelavb8751]

Hi. I'm trying to find the cause of a flinch that I get in my back, right where the middle part of teres mayor should be while arm is resting down, while lifting my left arm overhead. While my arm goes up and gets just about parallel to the flor (or slightly above) I feel like some string gets realy strung there, and when I keep raising my arm that tightness disapears in like uncontroled slide upward and at that point some muscle there visibly flinches (I recorded video). When arm goes down it feels controled right up to that point where I felt "string tighting" (or slightly below) and further my scapula just "falls" down (like it's not controlled descend). I feel it while doing weighted lateral raises, while doing pull ups, pulldowns. And everyday I have some tightness in the back that I can't quite locate-sometimes it seem like its near the upper part of my left shoulder blade, under my traps and is agravated the day after bench pressing. While benchpressing I don't have those flinches like I do with lateral raises, but have that thension that I have everyday - maybe because keep shoulderblades locked while pushing so they are not moving much when my arms are going up. There is not a shoulder/back kinematic video on yt that I haven't seen but just can't figure this out, the cause and what to do to address this. Could this be teres major? And if it could, is there anything else aside from statical stretching, and soft tissue massaging? If not teres major, what is..

[@tiwaz4598]

Mine is extremely tight. How long do you think it would take to get this muscle at a normal length again.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

If you stretch daily, you can see a difference within a week. Good luck!

[@tiwaz4598]

@@FrontRowwithEd Thank you

[@FrontRowwithEd]

@@tiwaz4598 Very Welcome

[@PsychicBadger98]

Hi Ed, I have had a multiple areas of pain round the left shoulder. The first is in the middle deltoid that radiates into the posterior part and another pain that is basically where the teres major/latissimus dorsi/tricep brachii long head all come together, right at the back part of the armpit. Whenever I protract and retract my left shoulder, there is also a loud popping noise every single time. Do you have any idea what muscles could be weak/causing this? Thank you so much!

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Hello "badger", let's start with the basics. How's your posture? If your shoulders are rounded, all bets are off as you need to address this first. Assuming your posture is improving kzbin.info/www/bejne/npm0nJWabNuZp7s, you need to "keep your scapula in your back pocket" kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3nRiWiQfc6hgrM Then check for supraspinatus tenderness kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2iYdJ9ogNplf7s Sound good? Keep me updated, good luck!

[@PsychicBadger98]

@@FrontRowwithEd Thank you so much and I'll keep you updated! Is it possible that one shoulder is rounded and the other isn't?

[@pedroagostine2128]

hey, I have had a fall doing some pull ups and I can't stretch my arms for about an week, do you know something I can do to stop the pain?

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Hello Pedro, sorry about your fall. Where are you feeling the pain?

[@pedroagostine2128]

@@FrontRowwithEd I am felling it near my chest in the muscle you are talking about

[@FrontRowwithEd]

@@pedroagostine2128 Hello Pedro, I would try the stretch against the wall I show in this video and see if you can slowly regain lost range of motion. See if that helps and let me know

[@gthrusterg2858]

That is thing bugging me, i did pull ups with handstand pushups and from that day i cant bring my hand up palm up, palm down i can. It is teres major or minor, i dont know. Its been month and half from then i didnt do any upper body. It seems massaging it dont work. It started to get better, still feel pain, but its less stiffed, should i just wait more? Thx for replay.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Sorry to hear about your shoulder. Where exactly does it hurt?

[@gthrusterg2858]

@@FrontRowwithEd excatly where you show it in video, delt and the spot above lat, but only when rising straight hand palm up. Now, i dont know have i over use it since i train very hard?

[@anon5091]

What brand of message ball is the that?

[@FrontRowwithEd]

I like going low cost. I recommend a basic tennis ball or lacross ball

[@klajdikaca1991]

Can you tear the teres major doing weghted dips

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Yes, unfortunately you can injure the Teres with heavy dips. Did you injury yours?

[@klajdikaca1991]

@@FrontRowwithEd to be honest i was diagnozed with a long head bicep partial tear(40-50%).The MRI doesnt tell nothing about the pec major,i suspect a tear there also.But i think smth back is weird,i know i have some damage on teres minor i dont know.How to see for teres major rupture?I didnt have bruising on my back

[@FrontRowwithEd]

@@klajdikaca1991 Sound pretty involved unfortunately. Are you seeing a local PT or Physiotherapist?

[@garagegymbros2198]

I have had pain in the left side of my teres major or lat since doing a max set of pullups with my arms fully extended. Normally I bent my arms slightly, but wanted to see how many I could make 100% strict. I thought stretching was good, but now I've been in pain for 6 weeks. I only have the pain when I do pullups or cable rows from above. If I am over row, or dumbbell row then I will not be bothered. An irritating feeling, as if I have overstretched it. Unfortunately it will not pass but I can still train it. Is the training good and can I continue with pullups and cable work if the pain does not get worse? Is a massage with just rubbing (not a ball) also a good method? It makes it easier for me to do the whole area and I find it difficult to feel the exact pain point.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Sorry to hear about your shoulder. If the training in different positions doesn't hurt, then I would continue, but don't max out as some part of that muscle group is injured. You do do need to stretch it out and using your fingers instead of the ball is fine as long as it gets the job done. Also, compare to the other side to see what your normal tenderness is. Good luck and make sure restore full range of motion and then be careful with your return to "full" pull-ups. Can you just hang from a bar without pain?

[@benchgod2170]

Same injury man...

[@garagegymbros2198]

@@FrontRowwithEd thanks. I think I found the problem. Have the symptoms of a SLAP tear. That's why it was so difficult to find. I now just have an RMI made through the doctor.

[@FrontRowwithEd]

@@garagegymbros2198 Good luck, hope it all turns out well

[@txjellybean3772]

Face cringing...lol

[@antifatbastard]

For the life of me, I can't find a diagram that shows where my injury is.. Its very close to what you are working on, but its at the very top of the tricep right before the Rotator Cuff on my back side of my body. Its not quite the long head of the tricep. WTH is it?? Its been damaged for 2 yrs.. Its hard for me to raise my arm high, without pain and loss of power .. Very baffling!!!! Can you help please ???

[@FrontRowwithEd]

Hey there, sorry to hear about your shoulder injury. Take a look at this video I made and see if you can find any trigger points to work out. Try it and get back to me kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnTWpHyeo758Z6s Good luck

[@theemfaraone7850]

@@FrontRowwithEd I would say thats the area.. THANK YOU for trying to help me.. Will give your video a try!!!!!!!

[@FrontRowwithEd]

@@theemfaraone7850 Excellent!

[@antifatbastard]

@@FrontRowwithEd I thank you