Shoulder Pain? Your Lats Might Be the Culprit

Have you ever felt tightness or discomfort in your shoulder, especially when reaching overhead or across your body? You might be surprised to learn that your latissimus dorsi (lats)—the big muscles running down your back—could be the reason. Let’s break down how your lats affect your shoulders and what you can do about it.

1. The Lat-Shoulder Connection

Your lats aren’t just for pull-ups or rows—they play a huge role in shoulder movement. When they’re too tight or too weak, they can limit how well your shoulder moves, leading to pain, stiffness, or even injury.

Think of your lats like a rope connecting your lower back, ribs, and upper arm. If that rope is too tight, your shoulder can’t move freely. If it's weak, other muscles have to compensate, increasing strain on your joints.

What You Can Do:

• Stretch your lats: Try a child’s pose stretch or a lat stretch against a wall to improve flexibility.
• Strengthen your lats (if they’re weak): Exercises like banded pull-downs or seated rows can help.

2. Breathing Matters More Than You Think

Did you know that the way you breathe can affect your shoulder? Many people use shallow chest breathing, which causes their lats to tighten up even more.

Instead, focus on diaphragmatic breathing (also called belly breathing). This helps keep your ribcage and lats relaxed, improving your shoulder movement and reducing tension.

Try This:

• Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
• Breathe in deeply through your nose—your belly should rise, not your chest.
• Exhale slowly through your mouth.
• Repeat for 1–2 minutes before workouts or at night to calm your body.

3. Test Your Range of Motion

Wondering if your lats are restricting your shoulder movement? Try these simple at-home tests:

1. Overhead Reach Test:
• Stand tall and lift both arms straight up.
• Can you get your arms next to your ears without arching your back?
• If not, your lats might be limiting your mobility.
2. Cross-Body Reach Test:
• Reach one arm across your chest toward the opposite shoulder.
• Do you feel tightness or resistance? That could indicate lat tension.

Ready to Fix Your Shoulder Pain? Let’s Talk!

If you’ve been dealing with shoulder pain and want to know if your lats are the problem, we can help.

Book a FREE 15-minute discovery call to chat with us and find out what’s going on with your shoulder!

Click here to schedule your call now!

We’re always here to help, whether you want advice, answers, or just a cool conversation about movement and pain relief.

Dr. Aaron Gootzeit, DC, MS, CSCS