Shoulders and upper back

The adaptations of the shoulder joint and shoulder girdle give us, as humans, some of our most important biomechanical advantages. The way we've come to interact with the world is more and more based on how we can use our hands and upper body. Most people make a living utilizing their hands as their primary tool. Though, this is why we can generalize the direction that the body has most likely adapted, which sets us up for both chronic and acute injuries of the shoulder, upper back, and neck.

Upper Crossed Syndrome is a set of symptoms that describes this predictable pattern that is seen in almost every person experiencing neck pain, shoulder pain, or upper back pain. The hallmarks of this pattern are rounded shoulders with internally rotated arms, tight and overstretched upper back muscles, tight and compressed upper neck muscles in the back, and tight overstretched muscles in the front of the neck. One of these factors may have been the initiator, but the pattern predictably occurs because these muscle groups need to work together to create all the movements of the upper extremities. Balancing the entirety of this pattern, loosening the shortened muscles and strengthening the overstretched/inhibited muscles, will be helpful even if you are only experiencing symptoms in one area.

In your visit we will emphasize which of these muscle groups seems to be the biggest offender and what activities may be exacerbating the imbalance. We usually start with stretching the shortened muscles followed closely by strengthening the under-active muscles.