As we all know modern life takes a huge toll on one’s posture. Well, most people spend hours sitting and neglecting the position of their spine. A poor posture can lead to a huge imbalance to the muscles of the body and that will make them not support the body properly.
The best part is that this would be easily fixed by doing certain effective exercises. Furthermore, such exercises can help to reduce back pain, remove headaches, and increase one’s energy level. Also, it can improve blood circulation and digestion.
You Might Be Suffering From Rounded Shoulder Problem
What do you know about the rounded shoulder issue? The term rounded shoulder can be used for describing the resting shoulder position and this can be moved forward from the ideal alignment of the body.
Do you know that most people call rounded shoulders as mom posture? They are as most people know is a bad posture and they can get worse when not treated properly.
There are certain exercises you can do for keeping your shoulders in the correct position. Such exercises would easily relieve stress that is commonly caused due to slumping.
What Are the Causes and Risk Factor Associated With Rounded Shoulder?
Well, posture is an example of how a person’s habits can easily affect the physical body. Also, various other conditions like the rounded shoulder and text neck are common ways how the poor posture starts.
Keep in mind that any kind of activity that can lead the body to be looked down and forward for a longer period would lead to the formation of the slumped shoulder. Such kind of position would disrupt how the muscles of the back, neck, and shoulders simply function.
These are the major muscles that can easily control the way the body would be able to maintain its posture all around the day. The daily tasks that can lead to the rounded shoulder are –
- Usage of laptop and computer
- Usage of tablet and smartphone
- Sitting for a longer period
- Driving your vehicle
- Bending over for a long period of time and repeatedly
- Carrying heavy objects all day long
Keep in mind that the risk of the rounded shoulder includes and leads to a negative impact and they would really hamper one’s appearance and health. When you are inadvertently training your body to be hunched forward for a long period of time, the muscles would get interpreted into the slumped position like the body’s natural state. Hence, this would be harmful to the human body when it is left untreated.
Sometimes the increased stress on the shoulder joints would lead to huge pain right around your neck and even the upper back. Also, it is better to correct the rounded shoulders through the adjustment of posture as much as possible.
Diagnosis
When you take the assistance of physical therapists and chiropractors, it would end up in you opting for few tests for seeing whether you have rounded shoulders. Now the doctor would first have a check on the resting position of the person’s shoulder especially when they are standing.
A person suffering from the slumped shoulders would be slouched and that would be their position when they are standing up in a straightway. Even their hands would be faced behind them and the thumbs would be pointed to each other.
The correct standing posture in this regard would be the hands facing the body along with the thumbs facing ahead. Well, this is a simple test, however, it can provide doctors a good idea of the everyday posture that the person follows.
Besides these, the doctors would be using other major types of tests to diagnose whether the person is suffering from rounded shoulder syndrome and having any kind of poor posture. Based on that they can recommend the best treatment. Keep in mind that it is advisable to work solely based on the treatment of a knowledgeable practitioner for the treatment of the rounded shoulders.
Can Stretches and Exercise Help in Fighting the Rounded Shoulder Syndrome?
The good news is that when it concerns the rounded shoulder, it is very much easy to get it fixed and even prevented. Like the joints and muscles that are trained to be in the hunched format, you can ensure that the body is retrained correctly especially in the resting position.
Sometimes a simple exercising routine can be used for supporting the correct shoulder position and even the posture among various people. You can dedicate around 20-30 minutes each day for such exercises and that too at least two times a week. That would help any individual in improving their posture and even alleviating any type of associated syndromes.
Frankly, it would take some time to see the adjustments made to the shoulder, however, it would be better if you do not force or rush your body into any position that makes it uncomfortable.
Handclasp Exercise
Well, the handclasp stretch is a simple exercise and one that can be done every day. For this exercise, you must stand up straight by keeping your hands on the sides. Then the individual must reach to their hands that are placed behind them and clasp them together.
After that they need to gently pull their shoulder back till the chest is open and a deep stretch would be felt. Hold on to the position for around 30 seconds.
Door Chest Stretch Exercising
As the shoulders are stretched, the chest would also have to be stretched. That would help in keeping the person’s posture in a strong position. Here one of the best ways to do is to use the doorframe.
First, you must stand straight right in front of the doorframe. Then the person needs to place one hand right on either side of the frame and just above the head height. Later, you must move one foot forward and then gently lunge past the frame and that will stretch the chest and shoulder. You must be in this position for 30 seconds.
Shoulder Blade Squeeze
This is one of the basic exercises that can just make your body realize what good posture is and even feel like. It would even help you to create strength throughout the day.
For this exercise, the person must sit up tall and try to move both the shoulder blades together. Somewhat it must be like you are trying to hold a tennis ball among them. As soon as you can flex, then the shoulders must move down and be away from the ears. Try to be in this position for around ten seconds and even repeat it around ten times
The T Stretch Exercise
Well, the T stretch is a morning exercise and something that you should do as soon as you wake up. You can even do this when you are going to sleep at the night.
Here the person would lie flat on their back and their feet would be flat on the floor. Also, their knees would be bent and facing upwards. The arms must be extended out to the sides of your body, and the palms need to face up.
As soon as this is done correctly, there would be a bit of stretch right on the back and even on the shoulders. You need to be in this position for around ten minutes each day and that would give you the best results.
Wall Stretch Exercise
One of the most important exercises that you can do is the wall stretch and that is a great rounded shoulder. The person should first stand on their tailbone and then followed to the lower back, upper back and keep their head against the wall. Also, the feet should be positioned right away from the wall.
After that, the arms need to be pressed flat right against the wall and then keep the elbows right at the 90-degree angle. You should be in this position for around 30-20 seconds or a minute. This would provide a gentle stretch and the best workout for the shoulder as well as the upper back.
Wall Angles
For doing the wall angle, the individual should stand on their back to the wall and the feet must be positioned to the forward way. Also, the arms must be pulled back, so that they would always remain in contact with the wall.
Besides, the arms should be in the ‘W’ position, and that needs to resemble an individual who is flexing both of their biceps. Make sure both arms must be against the wall.
Also, the hands should be extended upwards to the ceiling and while that is going on, the shoulders need to be down and flexed. In this way, the arms must be returned to the starting ‘W’ position. Continue to do this move for one repetition. Doing ten such repetitions would be great for the training session.
What Exercises to Follow?
1) Superman
One of the best exercises to engage your upper and lower back is the Superman. This is a great exercise that can help you to fight the pain present in the lower back and avoid the chances of getting a curved spine.
For doing this exercise you have to lie down on your stomach and that too on a yoga mat. After that, you must extend your legs and arms and make sure that your neck is kept in a neutral position.
Then you must make sure that the torso is in the stationary position, and then you need to lift both your legs and arms and allow it to go back to the initial position. Try to do this exercise for around ten minutes.
2) Upper Trapezius Stretch
For this exercise, it is better to start from the shoulder and firstly you must relax the upper muscle of your body. Frankly, the upper trapezius stretch is the perfect exercise for the body muscle. As soon as you are in the initial position, you should stand or just sit right on the yoga mat and make sure that your head is straight.
In this exercise, you should slowly move your right ear to the right shoulder. Then you must be in the normal position and then try to move the left shoulder and even lift it too. As soon as you do it, try to bring your head back to the required position, and then you need to relax the left shoulder.
Slowly move your right hand to the head and then try to place it on the left cheekbone. Try not to push your head down with it. This needs to lie down there. That would stretch to the upper trapezius muscles and in a gentle way.
After that, you should calmly breathe and make sure to be in the sitting position for around 30 seconds. Later, you need to slowly move your hand and then try to make sure that it comes back to the initial position and even get to repeat it by doing it on the other side.
Is There Any Exercise That You Need to Avoid if You Are Suffering From Rounded Shoulder?
If you are not going through any kind of discomfort or pain, then you will not need to avoid doing any specific exercise. Of course, you can and should continue to do strengthening and stretching all the time.
Rounded shoulders are commonly happening when there is an imbalance in the muscles. That would be among the shoulder and chest and slowly moving back to the upper back region.
Prevention Is Better Than Cure
Ultimately, the best way to treat a rounded shoulder is by avoiding all kinds of posture that can harm your back and shoulders. A correct posture would make sure that you are having a straight back and body. Take breaks between work to stretch. Go for massages and work on isolating your upper back muscles to get stronger to support your alignment.
