Upper Cross Syndrome

Upper Cross Syndrome

Are you one of those people who gets a stiffness and aches into the neck and upper back, which you commonly put down to bad posture?

You may have what is known as Upper Cross Syndrome (UCS) which basically means there is a muscle imbalance between the muscles of the neck, shoulder, upper back and chest.

One of the key muscles involved is the trapezius muscle which helps stabilise the shoulder. It is a large kite shaped muscle and is often split into the upper, middle and lower “traps.” It is a commonly overused muscle and is a key factor into what creates the symptoms associated with UCS.

The culprits include the upper trapezius, levator scapulae (muscles we use to shrug our shoulders) and the pectoral muscles (front of the chest) which become shortened and tight, while the middle and lower traps and the muscles at the front of our neck become lengthened and weakened. This muscle imbalance can lead to joint dysfunction and therefore pain.

Common signs:

• Forward head carriage- Your head is projecting forwards from your shoulders and often looking down.

• Increased cervical and thoracic curves- “The hunchback.”

• Elevated and protracted shoulders- Your pectorals become too tight and the muscles between and below your shoulder blades become too weak, so your shoulders naturally round forwards.

• Winging of the shoulder blade- Hold your arms out by your side at 90°. Could you easily slide fingers under your shoulder blade and grab onto it? If you can, it is a sign of scapula winging.

• Headaches

• Shoulder, upper back and neck pain

Causes:

• Sedentary lifestyle- Prolonged sitting with bad posture.

• Poor exercise technique- For example; Cycling with rounded upper back position

• Imbalanced training- Frequent gym attendees/ Weight lifters who regularly train their pectorals (often with poor technique), whilst rarely training their upper back.

So what can you do?

• You need to learn how to “reset” your shoulders. I often say to people to try and pinch your shoulder blades together and try and put them in your back trouser pocket and then hold for 5-6 seconds. You then need to try and find a way to remind yourself to do it regularly, such as every time you look at your phone you must do your exercise or every time you make a cup of tea.

• Pay attention to your upper traps. Are you sub-consciously holding up your shoulders when you’re sitting down, carrying bags, driving, cycling or even just walking around? How many of you just relaxed your shoulders just then!?

• Manually work on the area- either go and get a massage (or see me!) or try it yourself at home with a tennis ball by leaning on it against a wall

• Re-train yourself. Learn how to complete movements or exercises properly and incorporate these exercises into your daily routine.

If upper cross postures are not addressed it can lead to a number of problems throughout the musculo-skeletal system. One of the most common problems is shoulder instability as when you over-compensate (through the traps), you switch off muscles that should be working, which causes instability. Other problems include headaches, nerve pain or rotator cuff problems. Long term, UCS can lead to osteo-arthritis.

For further advice or exercises, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Mel Harrison
07727 666312
[email protected]
www.melharrisonosteopath.co.uk