Posture Related Pain

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Posture related pain is often referred to as “Upper Crossed Syndrome”. It is extremely common and we are seeing more and more of it in physical therapy. This is because people are spending more time at the computer and on their phone where they are spending prolonged periods of time in postural compromise looking down at a screen.  As humans we naturally have a muscle imbalance in our upper body. The muscles in our upper body that rotate and pull our shoulders and neck forward (our traps, pecs, SCM, and lats) are a lot bigger and stronger overall than the muscles that reinforce good posture (rotator cuff, rhomboids, mid trap/low trap, cervical deep neck flexors). This causes an imbalance where people tend to be rounded or hunched forward when they stand or sit (why most people lean over a table or desk when you look at them in an office setting, restaurant, etc). As this persists for a long period of time people can develop spinal mobility issues, increased muscle tension and tightness within the neck and mid back, and headaches amongst other symptoms. Upper Crossed Syndrome can present itself in different ways depending on the person. One person may have headaches, one may have feelings of neck stiffness, another may have feelings of pain in their upper traps, others may have feelings of stiffness in their mid back. Or people may have a combination of symptoms all related to the same condition. Treatment for upper crossed syndrome tends to get excellent results in physical therapy. Treatment typically involves using hands on therapy to alleviate muscle tightness and stiffness within the spine, and following that with posture related exercises to prevent recurrences of pain. Below are some pictures of techniques we use to treat posture related pain in our clinic. If you would like to schedule an appointment please reach out to us.