Weak Rhomboids = Rounded Shoulders = Neck Stress

Your Rhomboid muscles are located in your upper back, just beneath the Trapezius muscle.  They connect your Scapulae (shoulder blades) to your T2-T5 vertebrae. The YWTL exercises that most of you have probably already received actually work to strengthen these muscles. Have you ever seen someone with rounded shoulders?  That’s one of the biggest signs that you have weak rhomboid muscles.  Another important thing to know about your Rhomboids is that they get their nerve function from a nerved called the Dorsal Scapular Nerve which actually originates in your neck between the C5 and C6 vertebrae.  The alignment of your neck can directly affect the nerve function to muscles in your upper back.  The strength or weakness of your Rhomboid muscles directly affect how much stress is on your neck.  This can be a vicious cycle of bad posture having a direct effect on alignment (subluxations) and subluxations in your spine having a direct effect on your posture.  In order to correct your alignment and maintain good posture adjustments to make sure your neck and upper back are aligned are critical…but that’s not all you need to do!  Strengthening your upper back muscles, specifically your Rhomboids by doing exercises like the YWTL’s give you a great opportunity to stabilize your spine, hold your adjustments longer and relieve undue stress on your neck and upper back.