If your back hurts just to keep proper posture for more than 30 seconds, you suffer from neck pain, or have frequent headaches, you might be suffering from an overwhelmingly popular condition known as Upper Crossed Syndrome.
Whether you believe in evolution or not, I like to think of this condition as an evolutionary process. It’s not that you have a genetic disease or contracted an illness. You’ve developed a condition based on the habitual daily postures in which you constantly live in. The question is, why do we develop this condition and is it preventable?
The obvious answer to the second question is, absolutely. However, before I address how to prevent or treat Upper Crossed Syndrome, let’s talk about why you may have developed this condition.
Throughout our lives and daily practices we tend to live in a forward moving posture. We walk forward, we lean forward, we bend forward to pick things up, we slump forward at our desks, and we even reach forward to shake hands or to grasp an item. We are constantly using the muscles in the front of our body to move in the direction we are looking. Which, you guessed it, is forward. Occasionally we will turn or twist or may even bend backwards, but in comparison to the amount of time we spend moving forward it’s an overwhelming difference.
When we utilize a muscle to perform an action, like the biceps to contract the elbow and show off your guns, the fibers in the muscle shorten to pull the bones they attach to closer together. Additionally, the more we utilize muscles the stronger they get. However, not only do they become stronger, they can also become tighter.
For those of you who have ever exercised you can understand this feeling. After a hard day at the gym you probably feel a bit sore, especially when you move or stretch the muscle you have just worked out right? Without getting too scientific this is more or less the process of muscles becoming what is known as hypertonic.
Being that we spend the majority of our life moving forward, it would make sense that the muscles which control that movement become hypertonic. Muscles like the pec’s begin to round the shoulders forward, the muscles in the neck draw the head forward, and the muscles in the back get looser and weaker. Then, to make it even worse, we go into the gym and only work out the muscles in the front of our bodies doing bench presses and sit ups. Eventually you end up like our friend at the computer desk in the picture; slumped over with your head over your chest and pain in your back or neck. You may even develop headaches or other posturally related conditions. But your pec’s look great.
You have developed one of the most common modern day conditions known as Upper Crossed Syndrome. This postural syndrome can cause a variety of mechanical conditions including neck pain, mid back pain, headaches, diaphragmatic breathing inhibition, various shoulder issues, rib misalignments, spinal compressions, movement restrictions, and many others. So what can you do?
First of all, if you go to the gym, stop working out your front muscles so much! Your back muscles should be worked at least twice as much as your front muscles to counteract the balance of daily use. I like to recommend a 2:1 ratio of both weight and frequency. However, the story does not end there. For those of you who do not actively engage in your gym membership, “cough donation cough,” see below.
Simple tips to avoid developing or help alleviate pain from Upper Crossed Syndrome are:
Try to move into a different position at least every 20 minutes. There is a process of body tissues known as creep which occurs around 20 minutes of a sustained position. After 20 minutes tissues begin to dehydrate and deform. Moving every 20 minutes will help to avoid elastic and plastic tissue deformations.
Take microbreaks every couple of hours. Get out of your chair and STAND. Think tall, place your arms over your head, point your fingers to the sky, and try to touch the clouds. Alternate between left and right arm reaches to get motion into your spine and stretch out that tightness.
Perform the Breugger’s position regularly throughout the day. Move to the edge of your seat like you’re perching (see below). Spread your fingers wide and keep it strong, contracting your hand muscles. Bring your shoulder blades back and down. Tuck your chin in. Reach for the ground thinking strong. Finally, take about 3-4 deep breaths through your belly pushing your belly button forward (think fat! Lol)
Engage in regular chin retractions. When your neck is feeling sore or you notice you’re in that forward head posture take some time to do a few chin retractions. It’s important not to “flex” your neck here.
Think about moving in a straight line from your chin straight back to your spine, I like to tell people to make a double chin. To gauge your movement, if the chin moves down you’re doing it wrong.
Think about moving in a straight line from your chin straight back to your spine, I like to tell people to make a double chin. To gauge your movement, if the chin moves down you’re doing it wrong.
Perch! Without getting to scientific again this is a neurological reflex from the brain. Move all the way to the front edge of your seat… keep going… keep going… to the edge! Just be careful not to tip the chair over lol. Take the bones of your butt, your sit bones, and use them to sit on the edge of your seat. This will activate a neurological reflex to engage in proper posture
There is a cure for Upper Crossed Syndrome, and it involves your active participation. Perform these simple tips regularly to provide yourself with the relief you need. If you need additional assistance visit your local manual therapist, chiropractor, or personal trainer. Regular postural correction is recommended. If these tips do not help, something else may be contributing to your condition and it would be wise to seek a professional opinion. Good luck and I wish you all a healthy pain free life!
Green Apple 
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