Posture Could Be The Culprit Behind Your Shoulder Pain
Do you have a daily struggle with your shoulders? Do everyday tasks, such as sitting at your desk or standing to cook dinner, cause pain between your shoulder blades or your shoulders and neck? Your discomfort could be due to your posture.
Our posture affects most of the activities we do every day. Any change in it also changes the way we use our bodies. Sitting or standing with our heads protruding forward can adjust the positioning of our entire shoulder complex. Our shoulder blade rolls forward, which in turn forces the shoulder joint in an abnormal orientation.
Changes to our posture change how well our shoulder muscles work and how the joints function. Over time, these changes can lead to shoulder pain and dysfunction. Fortunately, our team of physical therapists knows how to address these issues and guide you to the results you are looking for!
If you believe your posture could be contributing to your shoulder pain, call Priority Physical Therapy to schedule an appointment and discuss your treatment options.
How Posture Affects The Shoulders
Shoulders are a common area for pain when you slump. When we slouch or hunch too much, the muscles and tendons are being worked in ways that they are not used to. This position also leads to stress on the joints, which can cause inflammation and pain.
Many patients who seek physical therapy for shoulder pain impingement learn that they can blame years of slouching for the predicament they’re in. Slouching essentially shrinks the space our tendons run through, setting us up for a “pinching” of the tendon (i.e., impingement). When this happens, you may experience pain lying on the shoulder when sleeping or reaching for something to the side or overhead. Left untreated, poor posture in the shoulders can lead to long-term effects, such as tendonitis, nerve constriction, or even spine misalignment.
Some of the most common postural errors include:
- Slouching in a chair – It is so simple to sit at work all slumped over. Over time, sitting this way strains the muscles and eventually causes pain. The more significant issue is that we stay like that for the rest of the day. Sometimes this is due to improper chair or desk height, but we attempt to make ourselves comfortable most of the time.
- The best way to avoid this is to get into the habit of sitting tall. This means sitting upright, legs uncrossed, feet flat on the ground, with your legs a few inches away from the chair’s seat.
- You can also use a lumbar roll or rolled up towel to help you maintain the proper posture. Place the roll in the small of your lower back. This prevents your lower back from rounding into the chair and helps you stay sitting up tall.
- Text Neck – The term text neck is used to describe a position in which the head is tilted downward, and the shoulders are hunched over (as if someone was looking down at a phone screen and texting.)
- This is also commonplace in desk jobs, as many people will experience text neck when hunching over their keyboards or sorting through files. Over time this can lead to tight chest muscles and weak upper back muscles. As your body gets used to this stance, it becomes hard to get out of it, making you more susceptible to injuring your shoulder and neck.
- Rounded shoulders – This type of posture error is caused when the shoulders are rounded forward instead of back, and the head and chest are slumped forward. This position is prevalent with activities that require prolonged standing. We round our lower back and allow our shoulders to slump forward as we stand.
Unfortunately, this posture contributes to difficulty reaching, lifting, and carrying things. Daily tasks become painful and limited. This stature makes us susceptible to tension and strain in the upper back, shoulder blades, shoulders, and neck.
You can also use a lumbar roll to help you maintain the proper form. Place the roll, or roll up a towel, in the small of your lower back. This prevents your lower back from rounding into the chair and helps you stay tall.
How physical therapy helps
Our physical therapists at Priority Physical Therapy are dedicated to helping you achieve your highest level of physical ability. Improper posture can be a difficult habit to break, but our staff will use the most comprehensive approach to address your needs and determine the specific problem areas of your posture.
We will then determine the best course of treatment for your needs, and we will assist you in the necessary exercises and therapies that will ease your body into its intended posture once again.
Call today to schedule an appointment
If you are experiencing shoulder pain, contact us today to set up a consultation. Whatever the culprit may be, rest assured that our therapists will get to the bottom of your problem. We’ll get your posture back where it belongs and help you feel good again!
Introducing Nicole Heitmann!
Nicole graduated from the University of Missouri (Mizzou) with a doctorate in Physical Therapy and recently started her career at Priority Physical Therapy. Outside of work, Nicole enjoys hiking, playing pickleball and walking her dog, Tubbs. Nicole’s interest in physical therapy began in high school when she tore her ACL. Spending time with physical therapists during her recovery sparked her passion for the field! We are thrilled to have Nicole as part of our team!
Go to the Pain, Not Through the Pain
The days of “no pain, no gain” are hopefully in the past. The idea of emphasizing pushing through discomfort to achieve results is not an effective solution for most people dealing with a painful condition, injury, or chronic condition. In fact, recent research suggests that a more holistic approach is effective and, indeed, safer for patients.
Pain is our body’s way of letting us know that something is happening in the body. When a nerve ending is triggered, an impulse travels to the brain, alerting us that something is happening. It is a warning sign or an alarm. How this impulse is interpreted varies from person to person and is influenced by a multitude of factors.
Aggressively pushing through pain can worsen the underlying issues and potentially result in long-term damage. The key is getting help from people who work with painful conditions every day, like our therapists at Priority Physical Therapy!
How physical therapy can help you find relief
In cases of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, applying excessive stress on already agitated tissues can prolong the healing process and even cause further injury. In comparison, going to the pain but not through it means cautiously approaching the edge of discomfort without crossing it, which can help your body progress without delaying your recovery.
Our objective is to work within a “therapeutic window”: a range of activities that stimulates the body’s natural healing mechanisms without triggering negative responses.
At Priority Physical Therapy, we educate our patients about pain to help them understand their conditions better and actively participate in treatment. Our therapists can help you learn “pacing,” where activities are broken down into manageable parts, helping you to avoid extreme ups and downs of feeling good one day and an increase in pain and inactivity the next.
By respecting the body’s pain signals and working within a therapeutic window, our approach aims to achieve long-term functional gains without the risks associated with pushing through pain.
