In todays video we go through the basic anatomy of the latissimus dorsi and run through three of the best stretches for tight lats!
The latissimus dorsi muscle, whose name means “broadest muscle of the back,” is one of the widest muscles in the human body. Also known as the “lat,” it is a large, flat triangular muscle that is not used strenuously in common daily activities but is an important muscle in many exercises such as pull-ups, chin-ups, lat pulldowns, and swimming. The muscle runs between the trunk, via an extensive attachment and the humerus by a narrow tendon. It therefore, acts on the shoulder joint. The superior border of latissimus dorsi forms the lower border of the triangle of auscultation.
Your lats are responsible for depressing your shoulders and extending, adducting (bring closer to the body) and internally rotating your arms.
Because of its size and the important role it plays in moving your upper body, an injury to the latissimus dorsi muscle can cause debilitating pain and severe loss of function.
While it’s possible that trauma or surgery could lead to latissimus dorsi pain, the most common cause of pulled lats is overuse, especially when performing activities that involve pulling or throwing motions.
When we perform these types of motions repeatedly - or perform them using poor technique - we set ourselves of for pulled muscles. or muscle strains.
A latissimus dorsi strain can occur when taking part in sports such as baseball, tennis, rowing or swimming, or it could occur while taking care of everyday tasks like shoveling snow, chopping wood - or simply reaching your arms above your head repeatedly.
You can also injure your lats during gym workouts.
Think about these types of repetitive motions. They throw your body - and your muscles - out of balance.
That’s why when we talk about latissimus dorsi pain, it’s important to understand that what we’re really talking about are muscle imbalances.
Sometimes, latissimus dorsi pain and injury is the result of a postural dysfunction.
The most common postural dysfunction associated with lat muscle pain is forward head posture.
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