Revised levator scapula exericse | An important stabilizer of the scapula and cervical spine 

You are THE MAN! I can't believe your videos dont have more views. So so so useful and critical. So many docs just prescribed physical therapy when I told them my problems and none of them talked about this. Thank you so much for embarking on this journey - you've a life saver.

I was always advised incorrectly on this Kjetil. Thank you so much for this clarification. I am starting this exercise, because all my life I was always told to pull my shoulders back and down. I know now that consequently my lavator scapulae muscle on left side is very weak, rotating incorrectly, and consequently painful. Thank you so much for all of your hard earned knowledge and instruction❤️ I wish I had found your advice earlier in my life.

Before founding this video I reached the exact same exercise by trial and error but it took me 2 years to find the right angle, and what’s funny is I found no one else even doctors knows anything about this. Your videos are literally a gem.❤

This feels great! Thanks! 🌹

thanks MSK, I feel like I'm able to hit them properly with this exercise now, mainstream doctors had me go through all the usual stretching and dry needling but it actively contributed to the worsening of my levator capula

Que genio bro! Todos los vídeos son excelentes!

Initially I found this statement to be contradictory ie “as you strengthen the muscles the pain reduces… strengthening does not mean tightening… strength is not a compromise” but now I get it and it does make sense. Thanks for clarifying.

amazing content

Nice to see multiple slow demonstrations of the desired movement. Thanks

ive had a weird chronic numb feeling around my serratus/rib (which im now thinking is those nerves youre talking about) on the left side for a few years now, alongside a winged scapula (left) and my head slightly tilted to the right (with the right levator scapula being tight). Will try this out alongside following advice about keeping your traps elavated (they both sat at the bottom of range of motion constantly) for a few months and see how things improve. thanks you explain things really well

Thank you so much!

Thank you for another information rich video. Your research and thought into recommending the right exercises is really commendable. Mindless stretching of these sensitive and intricate muscles around neck and upper back as recommended by most other practioners cause more harm than gain, which I have sadly found out through experience. Thank you for the helpful videos 🙏.

@MSK Neurology , the information you bring out is amazing! Words can't express the amount of life quality i have gained with the exercises you brought out. A huge Thank YOU !!!

Thank you so much

Going to give this a shot, thanks a lot! Pulled my levator scapula 9 months ago in ju jitsu (guy had 20 kg on me trying to crank the f*ck out of my neck and I didn't want to tap). Have never had neck issues, anytime I had a sore next would always be fine after a bit. This time it seems I pulled my levator scapula and it's been bothering me since, pain runs down along my trap and even driving is a little bit bothersome. Going to give this a shot and see how it goes. Physio was useless, told me to work neck extensors and it would solve itself (my neck extensors are stronger than 99% of the population in all likelihood)...

I would love to see you do a short video on proper rowing technique to avoid TOS/thoracic and lumbar injuries. I should let you know also, that while I am very grateful to learn about proper technique to avoid TOS, I figured out what was causing the severe itch- nerve pain radiating from Deltoid to Bicep… It was resolved by ceasing to take Vit B6 which I learned can cause a number of neuropathic type numbness/pain syndromes. Eliminating all B6 from several vitamin supplements finally resolved this issue for me… twice actually, because I doubted that was the cause at first. I wanted to let you know in case you have other clients whom present similarly. Thank You MS!!

This is great, thank you. It looks a lot different than your previous video where it seemed to be a lot more about elevation. I hope to see a revised video for scalenus strengthening from you.

Thanks for the video. Should this exercise be performed after having venous TOS surgery?

I'm having a very difficult and complex issue with my scapula and traps especially my right do you tella or online consultation as I'm in the united states but I'd love to get looked at by you I know your an expert in a lot of this

Love you man!

Thanks for these videos. You've basically cornered the market for neck stabilization exercises. Is it possible to target the upper portion of the levator scupala that is involved in neck rotation which the goal of helping to stabilize the cervical spine? Thanks.

Can a decades old dislocated clavical that’s out of place but calcified and stabilized cause other structural neck n shoulder issues? My chiro says no.

Thank you for this, I started trying it today. When doing this I also get pain between the rhomboid and the spine. I believe it’s a dorsal scapular nerve issue. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions for this?

This is 100% true. I manage to fix my neck pain by rehabbing my levator scapulae

Yes it causes a lot of pain. I was very enthousiast because it finally activate the atrophied levator scapula. And you are right, it irritates all nerves of the cervical plexus up to your cheek and ears.

I've been trying this out (activate the levator scapulae during exercise by visualizing its functions), and it works! Yes, some irritation, but I notice my neck doesnt crunch so much when i turn my head.

So attempting to strengthen the LS too much too soon can cause cervical plexopathy in patients with excessively weak LS?

This seems like exactly what I need. Do you pull up on the band at all for resistance ?

Could you also perform a variation of this exercise where the resistance comes more from behind? I was thinking this because usually one generates strength directly against the direction of resistance. For example attaching the band someplace low, doing 2 steps forward en then pulling the scapula forward. Another thought I had was sitting on a gym bench with the back support slightly backwards and then pulling the scapula more up and just a little bit forward. I could be over complicating things here... Thanks for everything you do!

Would you say that crossing your arms is a bad habbit? The forward and down motion of the shoulders you demonstrated at 9:36 in the video reminds me very much of how the shoulders act in that pose. When I do this my shoulder blades are in constant protraction, and I wonder if it could make the pec minor tight as well. I've actually never heard a therapist talk about this.

Question If when we rotate or laterally flex to the left side the neck locks up and you feel resistance, and the right side is very short and tight, does this mean that the left transverse process of the atlas is subluxated forward and the right one is subluxated backwards? Hence the left atlas tvp is compressing the ijv? How do we solve this? Do we strengthen the levator on the left side to pull the left tvp backwards and stretch the right levator to release the right tvp so it can come forward? Great videos by the way.

Where are you located?

So you think if there is some atlas dislocation (mere rotation) we should still train bilaterally? Am I correct?

I sometimes get pain in the solar plexus area and cold hands which lasts for a couple of days. Does this correlate with brachial plexus compression and what can be done about it?

Hey, recently came across you videos. I tried this out yesterday and it slightly flared up my TOS symptoms down the arm. Is that to be expected?

Hi, how long would it take to correct a cervical hinge with this exercise? Should I still expect 3 to 6 months of doing this exercise daily, or could it be faster than that? II don't have any pain, only jaw pain and tinnitus. Also, how many sets/reps per day? Thanks!

Thie is the exercise you shared woth Brian the immortal right ? I think we can see him doing this exercise with dumbbells

would you hold the barbell in front or behind yourself?

Thoughts on levator scapula clenching? Could it be a cheat patients do when trying to keep shoulder up

You made a similar video called Levator scapulae exercise in 2017 which is a little bit different than this exercise. Which one would you recommend to do for a painful atrophied levator scapula?

In what kind of exercise its ok for your elbow to go behind your torso?

How many of these should one do?

What can you do for an over active levator scapula?

Kjetil your voice is so much deeper than just 3 years ago :O

You look bulked up like you’re weight training. You never mention this as a way to heal physical issues. How has it helped you in your healing journey?

Can you please tell me the name of the disorder you spoke of at 5:04? Cervical plexus entrapopathy? I have had those symptoms you described for a year now with no relief. Don't know what to do.

is there a way you can unrestrict the video so that i can save it to a playlist? according to google, when the owner of the video restricts download access, saving to a playlist is also restrcited, for the viewer.