I remember at school being told to sit up straight with head up and shoulders back. It was part of the ritual of uniformity, but it was also about keeping a healthy posture. This little gem had been lost in my learning until last week when the most frequently presenting problem was that of sore shoulders. Here’s the tale:
WHAT?
People tell me that they have sore shoulders and then point to an area where the pain is. This could be the ball and socket joint of the shoulder, but quite often it is the ridge along the top of the shoulder blade or the beneath the shoulder blade. People are rounding their shoulders and letting their heads drop forward.
WHY?
The increase in desk based jobs and reliance on mobile technology has encouraged us to remain in static positions for a long time each day. This fixed position not only places increased strain on the muscles or the neck, shoulders and upper back, but it shortens the opposing muscles in the chest.
HOW?
How can we relieve this pain and readjust our body mechanics to prevent reoccurrance? Massage therapy will work on the muscles in the upper back, neck and shoulders, to increase blood flow and circulation bringing nutrition to muscles and tissues. This helps the muscle to recover from pain, increase it’s flexibility and even improve sleep.
In addition, we will work on stretching the pectoral muscles in the chest to enable the shoulders to sit in alignment once more. Here is an exercise you can do at home to help this process.
WALL STRETCH FOR PECS
- Stand against the outer corner of a room or in a doorway. Bend your right elbow at a 90-degree angle so your upper arm is parallel to the floor at shoulder height.
- Place your right forearm against the corner of the wall with your left side open to the room.
- Gently press into your right forearm as you lean your left side into the open space of the doorway or room to feel a stretch in your right pec. Hold 15 to 20 seconds and repeat on the other side.
