Before we delve into some trigger points for the latissimus dorsi, let us define what both of those things are.
Latissimus Dorsi: Commonly referred to as “the lats,” these muscles are found in your back. The distal attachment is found on the rim of the pelvis, the thoracolumbar fascia*, the bottom 3-4 ribs, the tip of the scapula (in about 2/3 of people), and up the spine all the way to T6! Needless to say, this muscle spans far and wide and is a primary mover of the arm.
Function of the Latissimus Dorsi
The primary action of the lats are to extend (think of reaching backwards, like when you begin the bowling motion), adduct (squeezing something in your armpits), and internally rotate the shoulder (rotating the right arm counterclockwise, or the left clockwise). This is also the muscle that people target with pull ups, lat pull downs (who would have guessed), and rows.
Interestingly, the latissimus dorsi is also an accessory respiration muscle due to its attachments on the ribs. It is especially active when we are exercising or taking deep breaths. When the lats contract, they help the diaphragm create space within the chest, giving the lungs more room to expand. It is possible to feel lat pain with breathing if you have a tear or increased muscle tightness. You also might have
Trigger Points
Historically, it was thought that trigger points formed in muscles when they become taut. Recent research has shown that this is not necessarily the case, and clinicians can’t even accurately find a “trigger point.” This doesn’t mean that there is no practical application of this idea. For example, people absolutely get tight muscles and spots that are more tender to palpation than others. This can translate to pain and tightness, commonly referred to as a “trigger point” or “knot.” These are the areas where manual therapy/massage can provide some relief.
Differential Diagnoses
If you think you have tight lats, it is important to make sure that you don’t have something more sinister going on. Below are a few differential diagnoses to rule out before you loosen up those lats!
Lat muscle strain: a muscle strain is a tear of the muscle fibers, and can vary from very minimal tearing to a full tear. Lat tears are quite rare, and usually occur as a traumatic sports injury.
Symptoms of a muscle tear include:
- Pain with stretching the muscle (not a '“good pain” as a stretched muscle is often described)
- Swelling
- Redness
- Warmth
Now that we covered the terminology, and perhaps did some myth busting, let’s discuss ways to provide some relief to any muscle tightness you may be feeling in your lats.
Matt covered some great lat stretches here. I picked out a few of my favorites from his article, which I will include below.
Kneeling Static Stretch on Foam Roller
This variation is great if you can tolerate this position. Hold for 30-60 seconds, and repeat 2-3 times. You can also move your arms to the left or right to bias one side. You can use any object to support the arms, but I like using a foam roller to control how much stretch you get.
I also like the standing version of this stretch, where you can grab onto a stable object such as a squat rack and hinge at the hips to stretch the lats. This one is nice because you can easily stress one side over the other by rocking back and forth, then hold the position on one side.
Another way to release some of these tight spots is to use a foam roller.
I like laying on my side, as Matt is demonstrating below. Start from the bottom of the lat muscle (where does it attach again?) and work your way up, moving back and forth and lingering on spots that are a bit more sore.
Tips and tricks for stretching any muscle
- When you feel the stretch of the muscle, take some deep breaths to relax your nervous system. This can help you sink into the stretch and potentially gain more range of motion. This is especially true for muscles that assist with breathing, such as the lats.
- Knowing the anatomy of the muscle you are stretching can help you create new stretches on your own, or increase the intensity of ones you already know. For example, during the lat stretches, you can contract your glutes to increase the stretch. This works because it will rotate the pelvis posteriorly, bringing the distal attachment of the lat on the top of the hip farther away from the proximal attachment on the arm.
Now that you know some tools to stretch out your lats, release any tight spots, and learned some new things about “trigger points,” you are equipped to move better and reduce your pain.
*thoracolumbar fascia: dense, fibrous connective tissue that helps connect the lats to the other attachments on the pelvis and spine. In this way, it acts as a sort of tendon!