Subclavius

The location and function of the subclavius muscle actually already suggest that this muscle exhibits corresponding reactions in the event of a disturbance or ‘malfunction’ in the postural system – that is, the body’s posture. If the posture is incorrect, the position of the shoulder girdle and the shoulder joint is also incorrect.

The subclavius muscle then enters a state of dysfunction as a reflex response. The areas of referred pain are of particular interest. They are often treated by therapists; however, they are also frequently misinterpreted. Furthermore, there are overlaps with other areas of referred pain. For example, it is ‘commonly believed’ that pain or sensory disturbances in the area of the thumb, index finger and middle finger are attributed to disorders in the cervical spine at C7/Th1. This is indeed the case, but the pain may also originate from the subclavius muscle.

It is likely that, in many cases, it is not possible to differentiate precisely between them. This brings us back to our overarching theme: ‘away from the symptom, towards the system’. After all, a trigger point in a muscle is, ultimately, just a symptom.

Treating it more or less in isolation is often simply not enough. As is almost always the case, one must identify the fault within the system.

As is well known, misalignments in this region can originate from other parts of the body; for example, inadequate compensation for an injury in the lower limb. Or (as recent cases show) an internal/organic cause in the pelvis – a severely weakened pelvic floor with significant incontinence causes, in this instance, severe shoulder and neck pain, including visibly evident damage to two intervertebral discs. Once the pelvic floor function has been improved, the symptoms in the upper body then only need to be treated as a secondary issue in order to achieve a more lasting result.