Calling All Ladies, Are Tight Ta-Tas Your Problem?

My letter is B (my mom always said anything more than a handful was a waste).  Well, if I’m being completely honest maybe a large A unless I’m heading out for a night on the town, in which case it’s a small C (with some help from Victoria Secret).  What am I talking about?  Boobs.  More specifically, about the pectoralis major muscles which are the muscular part of the breasts in both men and women.

Heading out for a night on the town!

Pectoralis comes from pectus which is Latin for ‘breast’. Major means it’s the largest of the four pectoral muscles, which in no particular order are: Pectoralis major, subclavius, sternalis and pectoralis minor—which brings us to the conclusion of both our anatomy and Latin lesson for the day.

Why am I talking ta-tas in Latin?

Some of my large-breasted sisters (both real and fake) are well aware of the connection between the weight of their breasts and the aching in their upper back, but they're often unaware of the strain heavy breasts can place on their pectoral muscles. 

Say what? 

Pectoral trigger points can cause back pain, heart arrhythmia's and false heart pain.  They may contribute to development of a dowager’s hump (think Quasimodo) and, their indirect effects on neck and upper back muscles sponsor headaches, jaw pain and other symptoms of the head, face and neck. 

So, what’s a girl to do? 

How about some self-myofascial release or self-massage with a tennis ball, lacrosse ball or even better one of the acupressure balls found in the Travel Roller.  Massaging with a ball against a wall is very effective for the entire pectoral region (read:  tight ta-tas).  If your nose bumps into the wall, try the technique next to a doorway, letting your head hang through the opening.  Go back and forth in slow, steady movements and aim for about 10 to 12 rolls.  This can be done every day, but at the very least you should be doing it before the start of your resistance training sessions (you do lift weights, right?)  After the trigger points are gone, stretching and postural retraining (read:  getting rid of not-so-sexy-Quasimodo hump) are quite appropriate and can have beneficial effects.

 

So ladies no matter what your letter, let’s spread the word and help get pectoral trigger points off our chest (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist). 

~ Sasha