Muscle Energy Technique to Stretch the Right Scalenes

  • The patient’s head and neck, down to T2, are brought off the end of the table and supported by the therapist’s L forearm. The patient is instructed to grasp the table with their right hand to stabilize the first rib.
  • The therapist grasps the base of the occiput with the left hand and places their left shoulder against the patient’s forehead.
  • The therapist’s right hand is placed over the top of the patient’s right shoulder to further stabilize the first rib.
  • The therapist translates the patient’s head straight down towards the floor maintaining upper cervical spine flexion by keeping the patient’s chin down at all times. The therapist then adds side bending of the head to the left and rotation back to the right, maintaining the AP translation.
  • The patient is asked to take and hold a deep breath and raise the head up against the therapist’s L shoulder for 5 to 7 seconds.
  • Upon relaxation the therapist takes up the slack by increasing the AP translation, left side bending and right rotation.
  • This procedure is repeated 3 to 4 times.
  • Assessment of right to left translation of the typical cervical spine (C3-7) before and after treatment of the right scalenes helps to confirm your success with this treatment.
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