Prideful Pec

Looking at the pec major as a whole, is like looking at the handheld fan from a sideways position. Like the trapezius muscle, this big broad mess has three parts and all funnels itself to a funny landmark called the crest of the greater tubercule of the humerus. The top fibers drop down and attach to lowest point, the middle fibers stay straight and stay in middle and low fibers cross up. 


It’s origin is like a big upside down L in the middle of your chest. The three origins include: the medial half of the clavicle, the sternum aka breastbone, and cartilage of ribs 1-6 "aka" your heart and lunge jail. All these origins cross over each other and insert into that funny crest landmark on the humerus. 


All of these attachments sites dictate what the pec major does. 

• The costal fibers, pull the arm back down or extend the shoulder
• the clavicular fibers, are going to pull the arm up or flex the shoulder 
• The sternal fibers, having to keep the peace. They horizontal adduct the shoulder,  medially rotate the shoulder. 

So, the pec major as a whole gets fully worked when we hug someone. But more than that, it helps to elevate the thorax when life knocks the wind out of you. 


Referred pain from these trigger points is experienced in the chest, front of the shoulder, down the inside of the arm, and along the inside of the elbow. The trigger points in the pec major can even produce symptoms that are nearly identical to the pain associated with having a heart attack, but please always have this pain ruled out by a medical doctor. From a biomechanics standpoint, these trigger points also have an intimate connection with upper body posture, and can have far reaching effects on the muscle groups in this region. Chronic tension in the pecs perpetuates the all too common rounded shoulder. This causes the traps and rhomboids in the upper back to become overstretched and weakened. 


If this is something you struggle with, contact us to get out of pain!

Live Well

Sara

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