Rounded Shoulders

[Nardies]

I came off a mountain bike pretty badly last year, and caused whiplash style damage to my scapula according to my physio. Since then, I've rarely gone to the gym because of the pain, however it's all healed now. Trouble is, sitting behind a desk 7 hours a day has had it's toll.

I stoop forward, my shoulders round forward, and I'm starting to hunch over. Trying to remember to maintain correct posture is quite difficult, so I'd like to hit the weights to counter what going on. Am I right in saying I need to stretch my chest, and work out my traps/rhomboids and shoulders? Can anyone suggest any good exercises/stretches?

[triggersbroom]

In my youth, I too suffered from this. What worked for me was bench press, flys and bent/straight arm pullovers. After only a few sessions I found that I automatically formed the correct posture through these excercises. You don't have to go heavy with the weights either

[LordGrover]

I'd ask the original physio. He/she knows precisely what the issue is/was and is likely to be able to recommend something suitable.

[Pickled Piper]

Learn some yoga positions and do some stretches through the course of the day.

pp

[tricky69]

i had this problem, after crashing my mountain bike and ripping my rotator cuf... problem is if you do bench press and such it actually promotes rounded shoulders and you will start to look like a boxer..

What you need to do is reverse flys or crossed cables flys, only on light weight but will build the muscle and start to pull your shoulders back. Basically work on stuff that targets the top of your back, pushups with your hands together help, wide arm pullups etc

[996 sps]

See a Sports Physio or a qualified Sports Therapist, I would say it will be postural exercises you will need, scapula setting, looking at Rhomboids minor and major, lower traps, mid traps, teres major and minor and infraspinatus, google search some exercises for those muscle groups and it should link you to scapula setting along the way, avoid bench press or press ups as this will make you more protracted, you deep neck flexors may be tight as well but you need an assessment, avoid big global exercises train local smaller postural muscles to begin with.

[Nardies]

996 sps said:

See a Sports Physio or a qualified Sports Therapist, I would say it will be postural exercises you will need, scapula setting, looking at Rhomboids minor and major, lower traps, mid traps, teres major and minor and infraspinatus, google search some exercises for those muscle groups and it should link you to scapula setting along the way, avoid bench press or press ups as this will make you more protracted, you deep neck flexors may be tight as well but you need an assessment, avoid big global exercises train local smaller postural muscles to begin with.

Saw a Sports Physio tonight. Pretty much repeated what you said, front is stronger than my upper back, and my right side (arm and torso) is more muscular than my left apparently. I've been told to do the following:

Pec stretches
Shoulder Dislocations with broom or something
Scapula push ups
Rotator cuff exercises
Shrugs
Bent over dumbbell rows

I did some of these tonight, I could really feel the rows under my shoulder blade on the damaged side, I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing though!

[996 sps]

Nardies said:

996 sps said:

See a Sports Physio or a qualified Sports Therapist, I would say it will be postural exercises you will need, scapula setting, looking at Rhomboids minor and major, lower traps, mid traps, teres major and minor and infraspinatus, google search some exercises for those muscle groups and it should link you to scapula setting along the way, avoid bench press or press ups as this will make you more protracted, you deep neck flexors may be tight as well but you need an assessment, avoid big global exercises train local smaller postural muscles to begin with.

Saw a Sports Physio tonight. Pretty much repeated what you said, front is stronger than my upper back, and my right side (arm and torso) is more muscular than my left apparently. I've been told to do the following:

Pec stretches
Shoulder Dislocations with broom or something
Scapula push ups
Rotator cuff exercises
Shrugs
Bent over dumbbell rows

I did some of these tonight, I could really feel the rows under my shoulder blade on the damaged side, I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing though!

That could be weakness of serratus anterior but your physio would have checked the movement of your scapula on his/her assessment, google the above muscle (also known as the boxers muscle) and see if you can get some exercises (obviously don't do press ups though!), watch you don't go to heavy on the shrugs as you'll become upper trap dominant and again this can cause shoulder problems. Ignore my advice if the physio has said anything different as the internet is not great without assessing someone.

[Nardies]

996 sps said:

Nardies said:

996 sps said:

See a Sports Physio or a qualified Sports Therapist, I would say it will be postural exercises you will need, scapula setting, looking at Rhomboids minor and major, lower traps, mid traps, teres major and minor and infraspinatus, google search some exercises for those muscle groups and it should link you to scapula setting along the way, avoid bench press or press ups as this will make you more protracted, you deep neck flexors may be tight as well but you need an assessment, avoid big global exercises train local smaller postural muscles to begin with.

Saw a Sports Physio tonight. Pretty much repeated what you said, front is stronger than my upper back, and my right side (arm and torso) is more muscular than my left apparently. I've been told to do the following:

Pec stretches
Shoulder Dislocations with broom or something
Scapula push ups
Rotator cuff exercises
Shrugs
Bent over dumbbell rows

I did some of these tonight, I could really feel the rows under my shoulder blade on the damaged side, I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing though!

That could be weakness of serratus anterior but your physio would have checked the movement of your scapula on his/her assessment, google the above muscle (also known as the boxers muscle) and see if you can get some exercises (obviously don't do press ups though!), watch you don't go to heavy on the shrugs as you'll become upper trap dominant and again this can cause shoulder problems. Ignore my advice if the physio has said anything different as the internet is not great without assessing someone.

You must be a physio then. I did originally have a problem there, and this was apparently sorted. Still doing some exercises on that area is worthwhile.

Question though, how should I alter my routine to cure this imbalance? Should I do more reps on my left hand side for a while, and should I completely stop working arms/chest until I've sorted my shoulders and upper back?

[Flying Toilet]

Get yourself down the Blackberry Clinic pronto!

[Frankeh]

I have this problem just because of the 7 hours a day behind a desk.
Sitting up straight now :P

[996 sps]

Nardies said:

996 sps said:

Nardies said:

996 sps said:

See a Sports Physio or a qualified Sports Therapist, I would say it will be postural exercises you will need, scapula setting, looking at Rhomboids minor and major, lower traps, mid traps, teres major and minor and infraspinatus, google search some exercises for those muscle groups and it should link you to scapula setting along the way, avoid bench press or press ups as this will make you more protracted, you deep neck flexors may be tight as well but you need an assessment, avoid big global exercises train local smaller postural muscles to begin with.

Saw a Sports Physio tonight. Pretty much repeated what you said, front is stronger than my upper back, and my right side (arm and torso) is more muscular than my left apparently. I've been told to do the following:

Pec stretches
Shoulder Dislocations with broom or something
Scapula push ups
Rotator cuff exercises
Shrugs
Bent over dumbbell rows

I did some of these tonight, I could really feel the rows under my shoulder blade on the damaged side, I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing though!

That could be weakness of serratus anterior but your physio would have checked the movement of your scapula on his/her assessment, google the above muscle (also known as the boxers muscle) and see if you can get some exercises (obviously don't do press ups though!), watch you don't go to heavy on the shrugs as you'll become upper trap dominant and again this can cause shoulder problems. Ignore my advice if the physio has said anything different as the internet is not great without assessing someone.

You must be a physio then. I did originally have a problem there, and this was apparently sorted. Still doing some exercises on that area is worthwhile.

Question though, how should I alter my routine to cure this imbalance? Should I do more reps on my left hand side for a while, and should I completely stop working arms/chest until I've sorted my shoulders and upper back?

Bud you need to ask your physio these questions as I think the problem is over the Internet its so hard to judge what as an individual you need, at work with scapula exercises I use more length of time a muscle is at an isometric hold rather than reps(however obviously i tell them how many times to do it), I really would not do much arm or shoulder work, sometimes the long head of bicep tendon gets referred to as the 5th rot cuff muscle but will just make your problem worse, to work lower traps I get an individual to lay on the floor on their front (prone laying) then to push the scapula down, I put my hands on there so they have some form of feedback of if they are doing it correctly.

You are looking to work at a low threshold to build a good endurance base, so you should not find must of them that taxing.

Does that make sense?

[Nardies]

996 sps said:

Nardies said:

996 sps said:

Nardies said:

996 sps said:

See a Sports Physio or a qualified Sports Therapist, I would say it will be postural exercises you will need, scapula setting, looking at Rhomboids minor and major, lower traps, mid traps, teres major and minor and infraspinatus, google search some exercises for those muscle groups and it should link you to scapula setting along the way, avoid bench press or press ups as this will make you more protracted, you deep neck flexors may be tight as well but you need an assessment, avoid big global exercises train local smaller postural muscles to begin with.

Saw a Sports Physio tonight. Pretty much repeated what you said, front is stronger than my upper back, and my right side (arm and torso) is more muscular than my left apparently. I've been told to do the following:

Pec stretches
Shoulder Dislocations with broom or something
Scapula push ups
Rotator cuff exercises
Shrugs
Bent over dumbbell rows

I did some of these tonight, I could really feel the rows under my shoulder blade on the damaged side, I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing though!

That could be weakness of serratus anterior but your physio would have checked the movement of your scapula on his/her assessment, google the above muscle (also known as the boxers muscle) and see if you can get some exercises (obviously don't do press ups though!), watch you don't go to heavy on the shrugs as you'll become upper trap dominant and again this can cause shoulder problems. Ignore my advice if the physio has said anything different as the internet is not great without assessing someone.

You must be a physio then. I did originally have a problem there, and this was apparently sorted. Still doing some exercises on that area is worthwhile.

Question though, how should I alter my routine to cure this imbalance? Should I do more reps on my left hand side for a while, and should I completely stop working arms/chest until I've sorted my shoulders and upper back?

Bud you need to ask your physio these questions as I think the problem is over the Internet its so hard to judge what as an individual you need, at work with scapula exercises I use more length of time a muscle is at an isometric hold rather than reps(however obviously i tell them how many times to do it), I really would not do much arm or shoulder work, sometimes the long head of bicep tendon gets referred to as the 5th rot cuff muscle but will just make your problem worse, to work lower traps I get an individual to lay on the floor on their front (prone laying) then to push the scapula down, I put my hands on there so they have some form of feedback of if they are doing it correctly.

You are looking to work at a low threshold to build a good endurance base, so you should not find must of them that taxing.

Does that make sense?

Yup, thanks mate. The trouble is I only get to see my physio once every two weeks or so because of work commitments, but I'm trying to self-correct a lot of my issues by going to the gym. I'm definitely not interested in rushing things, but I'd like to do a daily routine of exercises and stretches, not just to strengthen my weaker areas, but also combat the issues caused by sitting behind a desk all day.

Cheers though 996 - It's given me food for thought.


About Blackberry Clinic, I was going to, but my Physio is a qualified Sports Physio, and works with mates rates (as I used to work with her!). I was going to CMK Therapy beforehand and it was costing me an absolute fortune!

[996 sps]

Well at the exercises for scapula setting you can do at home or work we give exercise sheets out, but a lot of the exercises you should be able to ping off of the net.

Prone laying scapula exercises bang that in a search engine you never know.

Glad I could help.

[Halb]

I have found this site helpful nardies
http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_...

[996 sps]

Halb said:

I have found this site helpful nardies
http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_...

Good site that but exercises are end stage rehab, Nardines you just want low threshold recruitment early stage rehabilitation exercises, don't include anything which puts you in a press up position.

[Nardies]

I was doing Scap Pushups, might stop for now

Also 996, what's your view on the Mckenzie method?