Anyone have experience with a winged shoulder blade?

This is Ashtanga Yoga Tech Support. Real questions from the community, answered.

The Question

Anybody have experience with a winged shoulder blade?

Our Response

A winging scapula — medial border lifting off the ribcage — usually means the serratus anterior isn’t doing its job of pinning the blade to the back of the ribs. The serratus is what produces scapular protraction and upward rotation, and when it’s weak or its nerve supply is cranky, the blade pops out, especially under load like a push-up or Chaturanga. (True long-thoracic-nerve injury is a separate, medical conversation — get that checked if it appeared suddenly.)

For the common garden-variety weakness version, the fix is teaching the scapula to control its full range against the ribcage, not just stretching things. Train serratus directly: protraction work, wall and floor slides, and end-range scapular strength so the blade stays glued through movement. Shoulder Depression PAILS & RAILS and the protraction/retraction conditioning drills are exactly the kind of active end-range strengthening that gets a winging blade back under your control. Strengthen the control, then load it.

More on Ashtanga Tech: Shoulder Retraction PAILS & RAILS