Autumn Qi Chats | Week 7
How can your breath help your shoulders?
This week’s Qi Time chat leads us to talk
about how the phrenic nerve is associated with breathing & shoulder mobility.
The phrenic nerve and the torso
There’s a common phrase in biology courses “Cervical spine 3, 4, 5 keep the diaphragm alive”. While it’s a nice way to remember the one nerve that creates motor function in the diaphragm and is crucial to your respiratory ability. We also want to view the branch of the accessory phrenic nerve and affects of the subclavius muscle which stabilizes the clavicle and helps with arm movement.
It’s all connected!
Whiplash, head injuries, range of motion issues, tension and other cervical injuries can create harm to not only the diaphragm but the shoulders. From there you can this cascade of events that can continue to lead to the inability of the upper body’s function.
When you stop using your diaphragm to breathe, you begin upper chest breathing which fatigues muscles that were not meant to engage with each breathe to the requirement of necessary respiration. The ribcage suffers as the lateral expansion of the torso is no longer present and the stimulation of ribcage can affect the subscapular muscles.
Neuro-Qi Tip o’the day!
Breathe to move
Find C3, C4 and C5 and let’s mobilize the joint to help with nerve function
Know how to better breathe with the diaphragm
*Video posts every Friday by 11:30am MDT
