PT Exercises for Rounded Shoulders posture (Upper Crossed Syndrome)

November 16, 2009 at 10:34 am · Filed under Uncategorized and tagged: health, impingement, Physical Therapy, rehabilitation, rotator cuff, strengthening, upper crossed syndrome, wellness

Do you have neck or shoulder pain? Headaches maybe? Sitting for Modern life lends itself to hours on end driving, at the computer, watching TV – this prolonged posture is the cause of profound muscle imbalances around your shoulder/neck region that cause irritating (and potentially chronic) pain. These simple easy-to-perform exercises can help you fix the biomechanics of your body and optimize good posture so that you don’t have irritating pain that eventually could lead to shoulder surgery. In a nutshell, your chest muscles become too tight and your upper back muscles get weak, stretch out, and become too long. The answer: train your upper back!!! No, not lat pulldowns. The Y’s, T’s, and W’s isolate the RIGHT muscles to fix your posture.

PHYSIOBALL Y, T and W

These exercises work the often forgotten muscles that you don’t see when you’re looking into the mirror, and they have the added bonus of injury prevention (rotator cuff tendonitis, shoulder impingement, contribution to forward head posture, etc).

Those who benefit most include people who work at desks for long hours and muscle-type guys with big chests.

Hold each “letter” for two seconds, rest for two seconds and then move the next position. You should repeat the three-letter circuit about eight to 12 times. As you become more advanced, add small 2 or 3 pound weights to this routine.
**Don’t forget to tighten belly during all exercise to keep low back flat.
>>> Physioball Y

Grab an exercise ball. If you’re just starting an upper exercise routine, place the ball about a body length away from the wall.

Lie prone (facedown) over the top of the ball, with your stomach resting on it and the balls of your flexed feet touching the floor. Your body should make about a 45 degree angle with the ground. If you’re a beginner, the balls of your feet should touch the floor and your heels should push against the wall for more support. Make sure your back is flat and your chest is off the ball.

Extend your arms up and ahead of you to make the letter “Y” while keeping your thumbs pointed toward the ceiling and your shoulder blades reaching toward your feet. Your arms should be the branches of the letter. Think of superman flying upward looking like a “Y” if he were seen from a bird’s eye point of view. Your goal is to get your elbows in line with your ears.

Feel it: This exercise will work your back, your lower shoulder blades and the fronts of your shoulders.

>>> Physioball T

Lie in the starting position of the physioball Y exercise — facedown, back flat, chest off the ball and balls of flexed feet touching the floor.

Pull your shoulder blades in toward your spine and extend your arms to the sides to create the letter “T” with your body, thumbs pointing up. Keep your arms long and straight and making a 90 degree angle with your torso.

Feel it: You should feel this in the back of your shoulders and in your upper back between the shoulder blades.

>>> Physioball W

Lie in the starting position of the physioball Y exercise — facedown, back flat, chest off the ball and the balls of your flexed feet touching the floor.

Squeeze your elbows in toward your ribs. Rotate your thumbs and rotate them back toward the ceiling, squeezing your shoulder blades together to form the letter “W.” Continue rotating your hands back as far as you can, but make sure to keep your elbows by your sides.

Feel it: Deep in the backs of your shoulders.

Don’t have a physioball?? Exercises can be modified to use a stretchy band or small weights (like a can of soup). Do same movements (one side at a time) lying on bed with one shoulder positioned off the side of bed.

Belly Tight, Elbows Straight, Feet on Ground, Chest Off Ball

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