If you’re looking at people on the street or in the office right now, you may notice that their head pokes forward and their shoulders are rounded. This will look especially pronounced if they’re texting or looking at a computer.
This position is referred to as Upper Cross Syndrome and it has become very common amongst individuals who work at a desk or sit for their majority of their day.
This type of posture is characterized by weakness of the cervical flexors, rhomboids and lower trapezius muscles, as well as tightness of the suboccipitals, upper trapezius, and pectoral muscles. This creates a cross pattern of imbalance which causes dysfunction of the surrounding joints and compensation patterns lower down the body that can increase your risk of injury and decrease your performance of day to day activities.
Dysfunction over a long period of time will mean you eventually develop symptoms, which is the body’s way of telling you something is wrong.
Symptoms of upper crossed syndrome include:
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Upper back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Chest pain
- Reduced neck and/or shoulder range of motion
- Feeling stiff
- Pins and needles down the arm into the
- Shortness of breath
Treatment to help this is aimed at stretching tight muscles, opening up the chest, and strengthening the weak muscles.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms or would like your posture assessed contact us at Connect Chiropractic on (03) 9512 5882
