Posts Tagged posture

How To Fix Your Posture With Rounded Shoulders

Have you been spending a lot of time at your desk recently? Have you noticed that your shoulders have begun to look slouched, hunched, and rounded?

If your spine is starting to look like the letter ‘C’, it can make you feel self-conscious about the way you look. Fortunately, there are a number of exercises that, if done regularly, can help you improve your posture.

The Issue of Rounded Shoulders

If you have poor posture, it can have a number of negative health implications. If you have rounded shoulders, over time this may lead to what is known as ‘upper crossed syndrome’.

This is where the muscles in the deep of your neck and your upper-to-mid back become weaker. As a result, the other muscles in your back, neck and chest become tighter, causing your shoulders to pull forward.

How to Fix Rounded Shoulders

If you are worried about your posture and how your back looks, there are some simple changes you can make to reduce and prevent your shoulders from becoming rounded and slouched.

First, it is hugely important that you are self-aware of your posture. If you notice yourself slouching, make sure you sort out your posture straight away.

One way to do this is using the 20-20-20 method. This is where you set an alarm for every 20 minutes.

Every time the alarm goes off, you should look away from your computer and focus on something that is more than 20 metres away, and then do a stretch to reset your shoulders before you get back to work.

There are also a wide variety of exercises that you can do that will help with your rounded shoulders.

Here are some of the best stretches and movements you can do to improve your posture:

Reverse Shoulder Stretch: Stand up straight and reach both of your arms behind you, clasping your hands together. You should immediately be able to feel a pull as your muscles start to be stretched.

Take a deep breath and then move your arms to as high as they can go. Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds.

Bird Dog Movement: this move is the perfect way to strengthen your entire posterior from your neck muscles to your core. Start on your hands and knees, making sure that your body forms a straight line from the bottom of your spine to the top of your head.

Next, lift your right arm and left leg at the same time, extending them as far as your can. Repeat this with your left arm and right leg. Do this 15 to 20 times for the best results.

Get Professional Help

If you are concerned about your posture and want some expert advice, a physiotherapist can help.

Our trained team at Proactive Physiotherapy in Cairns are professionals and can help you improve your posture with specialist exercises that will have you standing taller in no time.

If you would like to fix your posture today, call 07 4053 6222, our team is available to answer your questions.

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