Unless you spend most of your workday like this guy, you may be suffering from a condition known as Upper or Lower Crossed Syndrome. This was first recognized by Dr. Vladimir Janda. These conditions are becoming increasingly common with people who spend much of their day sitting or at their computer.
Upper Crossed Syndrome can often be recognized by shoulders rounding forward with tightness in the chest and neck. Some may experience pain in the upper back and neck with this. With Lower Crossed Syndrome, a forward pelvic tilt is often observed with shortened hip flexors and possible pain in the low back. There is much more to this. Additional information can be found here.
Good news! Stretch Therapy can help you correct this.
Simply put, while assuming a poor posture for extended period of time throughout your workday causes your body to compensate.
Muscles that help support you in that poor posture begin to inhibit the muscles that promote correct posture.
Postural muscles become weaker.
Imbalance occurs between the front and back of your body.
Before long, you may begin to experience pain and tightness in your neck, upper back or low back.
Dr. James Levine, who first said,"Sitting is the new smoking." He makes the claim, "Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death."
Stretch Therapy Can Help:
Releases tightness in the shoulders and hips.
Activates the muscles that become weak with UCS or LCS.
Improves posture and alignment.
How to prevent LCS or UCS from happening to you:
Exercise - i.e., plank variations, rows, lat pulls, hip bridges.
Have an ergonomic work station.
Consider a standing work station.
Find ways to move more throughout your workday.
Take care of your body - i.e., stretch therapy, massage, strengthen - (postural imbalances can lead to joint deterioration if left untreated).
Here's a podcast I came across "Fitness Tips for Desk Jockeys".
Do you have a flexibility question for me? Select questions will be considered as topics in future blog posts.