Poor shoulder posture can cause unwanted tension in the neck or back, causing chronic pain and in some cases even tension migraines. Computer work can induce or aggravate poor posture, encouraging a slumped position and triggering muscle atrophy. By assessing shoulder alignment, stretching muscles, and doing regular physical activity for this area, you can combat poor posture and relieve pain.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Restore Shoulder Alignment
Step 1. Strengthen the middle back
An important factor in keeping the shoulders back and in alignment is to strengthen the muscles in the middle of the back, between the shoulder blades. The major muscle groups are called paraspinal, rhomboid, trapezius and infraspinatus. If these muscles are too weak, the shoulders tend to lean forward, while when they are strong it is easier to maintain good posture.
- Rowing machines are perfect for strengthening the muscles between the shoulder blades. Start by setting a reduced resistance by exercising for short periods, then progressively increase the resistance and repetitions over a period of four to six weeks.
- Reverse flies with free weights are great for strengthening the rhomboid muscles and the trapezius. Sit on the edge of a bench by bending forward at waist level and looking at the floor. Grab the dumbbells in each hand and lift them sideways away from the ground, so that the shoulder blades come closer; when your arms are parallel to the floor, hold the position for a few seconds and then slowly lower the dumbbells.
- Swimming is an ideal sport, because it allows you to exercise all the muscles, especially those of the shoulders, spine and legs; moreover, it forces you to assume a good posture to stay on the surface of the water and maintain a straight line.
Step 2. Make your spine more flexible
Although the mid-back naturally hunches a little forward, too much drooping posture can create a stiff and painful kind of hump. This inflexible hump (medical term for kyphosis) forces you to keep your shoulders and neck forward; you should therefore try to make the spine more flexible by extending it (reversing the curvature), in order to make it easier for the shoulders to realign.
- Lie back on a large Swiss ball with your feet on the floor and your eyes on the ceiling; slowly, roll (extend) your middle back onto the top of the ball, so that your head comes close to the floor. When you feel that you are doing a pleasant (not painful) stretch, hold the position for 15 seconds; repeat the exercise 10-15 times a day.
- Take the position of "Superman". Lie face down on a padded surface with your arms stretched beyond your head; lift your chin, arms and most of the legs away from the floor, a bit like simulating Superman's flight. Hold the position for 15 seconds and repeat the exercise 10-15 times a day. Make sure you put a pillow under your abdomen so you don't hyperextend your back as you lift your head, arms, and legs.
- Swimming, rowing exercises, and yoga classes also help make the spine (and many other areas of the body) more flexible.
- Use a specific bench that helps to stretch and straighten the lumbar curve. Lay it on the floor and lie on it for several minutes a day (start with one minute and then gradually increase to five). Lie on your back with your middle back on the curved bench and slowly stretch your back; this exercise helps to compensate for the constant falling forward position.
Step 3. Stretch your chest and neck muscles
In addition to the weak muscles of the central back, excessive tension in the chest muscles also helps to bring forward and misalign the shoulders. Paradoxically, this posture is quite common among men who go to the gym, spend a lot of time doing pectoral exercises and developing the front shoulder muscles, but who don't spend enough time exercising the rhomboid (between the shoulder blades) and shoulder muscles. back shoulders. To work around this problem, you should avoid over-training your pecs, as well as making sure they are well stretched and flexible. A similar problem occurs when the muscles in the lower part of the neck (the trapezius and levator scapulae) become too tight / strong, leading to heaving of the shoulders; in this way, the person always seems to have his shoulders raised.
- To stretch the chest muscles, stand in front of the front door or against a corner, raise one arm bringing it close to the wall at shoulder height, the elbow should be bent. This position vaguely resembles half of the rugby goal. Rest your arm against the wall or door frame and use this support to gently stretch your shoulder for 30 seconds. Turn your head and look away from your shoulder to intensify the stretch; then repeat for the other side. This stretch performed for 5-10 minutes a day helps loosen the chest muscles and allows the shoulders to retract.
- Once you've warmed up your neck, start stretching it by flexing it sideways together with your head (bend them to the side); make sure you get your ear as close to your shoulder as possible. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat for both sides 5 to 10 times a day. By loosening your neck muscles, you allow your shoulders to gradually lower.
Step 4. Get examined by a chiropractor
He is a spine specialist properly trained to improve posture; it doesn't just tell you if your posture is incorrect, it can also pinpoint the cause of the problem and propose natural solutions. This professional can diagnose spinal abnormalities and defects that lead to shoulder misalignment (scoliosis, osteoporosis, hyperkyphosis), usually through an X-ray. He can also manually treat the joints (spinal manipulation) to make the spine more flexible.
- Can perform joint manipulation in the mid-back area to relieve shoulder pain. This area is not taken into much consideration when addressing the problem of shoulder pain; however, some recent research has found that manipulation of the thoracic-spinal tract is effective in relieving suffering.
- Shoulder misalignment can also be caused by a slight dislocation, called a subluxation, which occurs when the joints are not aligned properly. Ask the chiropractor to check both shoulders, as well as the spine.
- Sometimes, the misalignment is due to some pathology in the lower body, such as a shorter leg or a pelvis that is not perfectly in line. Changing the position of the pelvis to realign it and adding thickness under a shoe can restore balance to the lower body, which is then reflected in the chest.
- Keep in mind that spine adjustments cannot completely eliminate deformities, such as scoliosis, and are not suitable for those with osteoporosis-associated hyperkyphosis.
Part 2 of 2: Understanding the Causes of Shoulder Misalignment
Step 1. Don't assume bad posture
Basically, it is caused by the habit of bringing the shoulders forward when sitting or standing. Contrary to popular belief, the spine is not as straight as a pole; if it is healthy it has three natural curvatures that give it a shape similar to an "S" when viewed from the side. There is a forward curve in the neck area that meets another outward curve in the central area of the body, which in turn joins the forward curve again in the lumbar region. Therefore, viewed from the side, the shoulders should be in line with the hip joints (center of the pelvis) and ankles.
- When you sit, stand or walk, remind yourself to hold your shoulders back, contract your abdominal muscles, lift your chin, and keep your gaze straight in front of you. Don't keep bending forward, looking down, or sitting at abnormal angles.
- Poor posture is especially debilitating for children, because their bones are still growing and could take a wrong shape, due to the continuous sagging and misaligned posture; these deformities are very difficult to correct in adulthood.
- Poor posture puts additional strain on muscles and joints, causing chronic pain and discomfort, as well as an increased risk of arthritis and injury.
Step 2. Treat shoulder injuries properly
Injuries due to sports or other trauma, such as a car accident or a fall, can cause the shoulder girdle and upper body to become misaligned. For example, dislocation, shoulder separation, humeral or collarbone fractures, muscle tears and strains of varying degrees can cause the shoulder to lean downward or cause it to protrude forward more than normal. For this reason, it is important to properly treat any type of injury and wait for it to heal completely before returning to activities that put stress on these joints.
- After a particularly severe shoulder injury, physiotherapy is sometimes required to fully regain strength in the shoulder girdle muscles and to restore full range of motion within the shoulder joint.
- If you are unable to move and use your shoulder fully - due to chronic pain, untreated injury, arthritis - the joint can quickly atrophy and the surrounding muscles shorten; at this point, the tense and weak muscles slowly pull the shoulder, causing it to lose normal alignment.
Step 3. Ask your doctor if you have scoliosis
It is a disorder of which the causes are not yet known, which leads to an unnatural curvature (deformity) of the spine, usually in the central area of the back. One of the signs of scoliosis is bad shoulder trim. This pathology not only leads to having one shoulder lower than the other, but the affected shoulder blade often appears more prominent. Typically, misaligned shoulders and upper body are what make the pediatrician understand that the child has scoliosis.
- This incorrect curvature manifests and progresses in childhood (and early adolescence), stabilizing later in adulthood, when the skeleton stops growing.
- Scoliosis is thought to be somewhat more common and potentially tends to be more severe among young girls.
- If this disorder is the cause of a shoulder misalignment, there is nothing that can be done to correct it. Instead, it would be advisable to focus on the related musculature and make it fully functional; It is also very important to maintain good posture, so that the defect does not get worse.
Step 4. Try to prevent osteoporosis
It is a disease that weakens the bones, making them brittle, and is due to the loss of normal mineralization of the bones. Without the proper amount of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and boron, bones tend to break much more easily, especially those in the hips and spine. Vertebral compression fractures in the thoracic area are very common, they tend to cause hyperkyphosis, pushing the shoulders and neck too far forward. When this deviation forms, only corrective surgery can restore proper alignment of the spine and shoulders.
- Osteoporosis most often affects older women of Caucasian and Asian descent, especially those who are thin and inactive.
- To prevent this, make sure you are getting adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, as well as getting regular exercise.
- Good sources of calcium are low-fat dairy products, green leafy vegetables, canned salmon, tofu, grains, and fortified juices.
Advice
- An important factor to consider in order to have good posture is simply to be aware of it. Therefore, look in the mirror from time to time and correct your posture if necessary, focusing on the sensations it transmits; then learn to be aware of this posture throughout the day.
- Practice walking with a book balanced on your head. It may seem like an outdated method, but it's still perfect for developing good posture, especially for the head, neck, shoulders, and mid-back.
- If you have scoliosis or spinal problems, always consult your family doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist before performing any type of exercise.
- Correcting bad posture may make you uncomfortable initially, as your body has become accustomed to sitting and standing in a particular way (slumped).
