The Lats & The Pickle They Live In

The Latissimus Dorsi - a long name for a large muscle with a big identity crisis. Is it a back muscle? Is it a shoulder muscle? Is it the remnants of the wings we once used to fly from land mass to land mass? Just kidding. We never had wings. The Lats do have a wing like quality, though, when they are well developed. Just take a look at Michael Phelps. It’s like looking at a threatened King Cobra. The Lats are huge. But they do not act alone.

Most anatomists would categorize the Lats as a back muscle. It does, to their credit, take up a large portion of the lower and lateral posterior torso.

Digital illustration of a swimmer mid-stroke, emphasizing the latissimus dorsi muscles in action—key for upper body movement and often a focus in massage therapy and sports bodywork.

Originating along the lumbar spine, the thoracolumbar fascia and the posterior hip, it blankets the deeper muscles of the low back before twisting itself into a bunch in order to squeeze under the armpit and reach around to grab onto the front of the humerus. And when it contracts, the arm gets pulled down to the torso, which some refer to as shoulder adduction. So… is it a back muscle that moves the shoulder? Or a shoulder muscle that lives in the back?

Yes. To all the things. Why would this be simple? Anatomy never is. There are a couple of very important truths to remember when approaching the Lats. While they play an important role in pull ups, or swimming, or pretending to be Spiderman, they also rely on a bunch of other muscles to keep things stable while they do what they do. In the shoulder, the lean on the help of the Teres Major, the rotator cuff and the Pecs to name a few. And in the back, well, this is where things get even more complicated.

The low back - infamous for falling into dysfunction - is well layered. The Erectors, the QL, the Obliques, and even the Lower Traps are all vying for property here. These are all powerful muscles that often find themselves tipped out of balance from a lack of strength in their antagonists: the abdominals. Commonly neglected, the abs depend a little too much on the strength of the back. If the abs are weak, the back, then, gets tired. And you know what happens when we get tired. We get grumpy and irritable and, well, nothing good comes from that.

So the Lats find themselves in a bit of a pickle. They are trying to do their job but also trusting that a lot of other muscles will uphold their end of the bargain. When the lats engage, it should be like pressing the turbo button on a sports car. Everything should ramp up. This is too often not the case, though. And while it’s easy to investigate the shoulder when the Lats start getting irritated (they move the shoulder, after all) but if the abs aren’t ramping up with the rest of the team, the lats can blow a gasket.

Massage therapist performing latissimus dorsi release on a prone client, applying compressions from the glutes up to the mid-back. The therapist’s hands follow the lat fibers toward the upper arm, engaging the tissues near the axillary region while stabilizing the client’s hip. This technique helps release tension in the lats, improve mobility, and assess the connection between the lats and core muscles.

All of this to say, when a client presents with shoulder and/or low back pain, pay some attention to the Lats and see what it reveals. With your client prone, start with compressions into the glutes and transition with one hand into the low back. Sliding from medial to lateral with flat finger pads or a flat palm while you hold your compression into the glutes will allow the Lats and all of their surround layers to begin to breathe. Work your way up to the mid back, continuing to push the tissues away from the spine, and offer them permission to let go.

Bring your clients arm off the table at a 90 degree angle and follow the fibers of the lats as they narrow towards the axillary region. This is when we get to grab them and separate them away from the underlying tissues. While this work is awesome and can be paired well with some active internal and external rotation of the arm, I might suggest swapping that out for some anterior and posterior tilts of the pelvis. Check in to see if there is a relationship between the Lats and the Abs. Your client might just have a breakthrough, revelatory moment about their shoulder and/or low back pain.

From here, extend your client’s arm up towards the head of the table and, holding at the elbow with one hand, use your other hand to brace at the top of their same side hip. Ask your client to pull their hip up towards their shoulder against your resistance. See what muscles engage and what muscles stay lax. Play around with slight differences in position of the shoulder and the hip, and let your client’s lats talk to you about what exactly is going on.

There are a plethora of incredible techniques to stretch and relax a tired Latissimus Dorsi, but getting to the root of why it’s so tired is going to be the most effective one. Educate your clients about this incredible muscle. Find out if it’s getting the support it needs from its surrounding tissues. And talk to them about the importance of balance. We all need somebody to lean on. The Lats are no different.

➡️ Free Tutorial: Latissimus Dorsi Massage Techniques

If you like what you read and want to read more content like this, head over to Associated Bodywork & Massage Professional's website to read their latest issues of Massage & Bodywork magazine.