I have a question on the most recent clip regarding cervical axial rotation and decending vs. acsending issues. Listening to Jen’s patient case study sounded very familiar as I have a patient struggling with right sided neck pain and headaches who is slowly getting better but not over the hump. Neutral BC except we have trouble keeping keep axial rotation to the left. So I tried the modified exercises with her today. With each one I could not get her to feel her left SCM and in fact all she felt was her right neck working to the point of creating some discomfort that she hadn’t had in awhile. Is there a better cue to use to engage her left SCM or was she just not stable enough proximally (have just started upright right serratus work with her) to be able to keep her right neck off?
Ask your patient to sit upright first and find and feel or search for her left SCM by moving her chin down toward her right chest and slightly sidebend to the left. Compare this activity to the other side…or consider starting with the other side first to help with associated movement that is denied on the left. Then try the sidelying left SCM recommendations. If this fails consider supine activation (see Florence Kendall recommendations). You’re also correct in your thinking; regarding right SA, lower trap, and tricep instability. This may be the chief issue.
