The rhomboid stretch targets the muscles between your shoulder blades (rhomboids and middle trapezius). Standing, you clasp your hands out in front at shoulder height, push them forward so your upper back rounds and your shoulder blades spread apart, and let your chin drop toward your chest. All you need is a bit of clear space in front of you.

How to do the rhomboid stretch

Stand upright with your feet about hip width apart, your knees soft and your arms by your sides.
Lift both arms straight out in front of you to shoulder height and interlace your fingers.
Push your hands forward as far as you comfortably can, letting your upper back round and your shoulder blades slide apart. Your body leans forward a little as you reach.
Lower your chin toward your chest so your head drops down between your arms. Hold and breathe slowly while you feel the stretch between your shoulder blades.
Straighten up slowly, lifting your head last. Rest your arms by your sides between holds if they tire.

What you should feel

A broad stretch across the middle of your upper back, between and around the shoulder blades, sometimes reaching up into the back of the neck as your chin drops.

Common mistakes

Bending forward from the hips with a flat back, so the shoulder blades never spread.
Letting your arms sink toward your waist. Keep them at about shoulder height.
Leaning so far forward over locked knees that you feel you might tip.
Shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears as you reach.

How often

A common plan is 2 to 4 holds of 15 to 30 seconds, once or a few times a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel dizzy or lightheaded as you round forward or come back up. Stop, sit down and let it pass. If it keeps happening, get medical advice the same day before you try again, and call emergency services if it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still. If you faint while exercising, call emergency services, even if you feel fine again quickly.
An electric shock feeling runs down your back or into your arms or legs as your head bends forward. Stop and get medical advice the same day.
Pins and needles, numbness or pain runs into your arm or hand, or you feel a sharp pain in your neck or back instead of a stretch.
Pins and needles in your arm or hand that do not go away after you stop, or part of your arm or hand goes numb. Get medical advice the same day. If one side of your face or body suddenly goes numb or weak, or your speech becomes slurred or muddled, call emergency services, even if it goes away.

From the clinic

Think of reaching your hands away from your chest rather than bending down toward the floor. The stretch comes from the shoulder blades spreading apart, not from folding at the hips. Standing up to do it also breaks up a long spell at a desk. The upper back stretch works the same area sitting down, with the hands clasped between the knees, and is the better choice if standing and bending forward feels unsteady.

Keep a chair or counter within reach, and come up slowly if you tend to feel lightheaded when you change position. Rounding the upper back forward is a movement physios often limit with low bone density (osteoporosis) or after a fracture in the spine, so ask yours before you start. For a stretch in the opposite direction, try thoracic extension over a chair.

After shoulder surgery, including a rotator cuff repair, or after a shoulder fracture or dislocation, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and do only the movements and range they have cleared. Many plans allow only passive movement at first, where the arm is moved for you and its muscles stay relaxed. Holding both arms out in front at shoulder height may not be cleared yet in the early weeks.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Rhomboid stretch