#SERRATUS_ANTERIOR_MUSCLE ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● [ANATOMY, FUNCTION, PATHOLOGY AND TREATMENT] ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●⠀ The serratus anterior originates on the top surface of rib 1-9 and inserts at the anterior surface of the entire medial border of the scapula. ⠀ The function of the serratus anterior is to pull the scapula forward in protraction and around the rib cage. The scapula is able to move laterally due to the serratus anterior muscle. It also allows the upward rotation of the arm, which allows a person to lift items over their head. It is intimately connected to the rhomboids and makes a sling for the scapula to balance between protraction and retraction! Unfortunately it is a muscle that commonly gets overlooked! ⠀ When this muscle doesn't function properly, you can get winging of the shoulder blades, pain between or under the shoulder blades, pain in chest or arm , pain with deep breathing and difficulty reaching behind the back or overhead. ⠀ Winging of the shoulder blade is a physical finding where the inside border of the shoulder blade is lifting off the thorax. A healthy shoulder blade will lie flat against your rib cage and will not lift off through movement. Any deviation of the shoulder blade from normal will change the way in which the humerus articulates within its socket and as such predispose to injury! The major cause of this postural dysfunction is weakness or tightness in the serratus anterior. ⠀ This finding is typical in overhead athletes who are experiencing pain, but is also very commonly seen in patients who spend the majority of their day sitting, such as office workers, and those who spend the majority of their day in a hunched position such as dentists. ⠀ In this case, training your rotator cuff muscles will not result in much benefit as you need to address the muscles responsible for holding your shoulder blade in a good position!