Scalenes
Exercises that target the scalenes, grouped by whether they stretch or strengthen it.
The scalenes are three paired muscles on the side and front of the neck running from the cervical vertebrae to the first two ribs. They side-bend the neck and act as accessory breathing muscles, lifting the upper ribs with each breath.
With forward head posture and shallow, chest-dominant breathing they often become short and tight, contributing to neck stiffness and, because nerves and vessels pass between them, sometimes to arm symptoms. They tend to overwork when breathing is not driven by the diaphragm.
They respond to gentle lateral-neck stretches and breathing retraining that restores diaphragmatic (belly) breathing, alongside deep-neck-flexor work. See the neck exercises.
