Ps. I’ve tried. You want to release tightness and also strengthen the weak back muscles. With this way, you should see some immediate effects of the exercises. Please excuse me if you have already answered this question, there are a lot of posts to sort through. Hi Mark, for past 3 months I am suffering from pain at the lowest back of my head after working on computer. However – this winging is probably most likely due to a lack of Shoulder internal rotation. Hi Mark, I have been doing a few of these exercises for a few weeks before I came upon your blog , and have had trouble getting any sort of contraction with the back muscles of my left shoulder (my shoulders are visibly uneven). This will automatically force your lower/middle back muscles to work over time. Focus on the scapula region as opposed to what the arm is doing. I’m sorry because I’ve asked a lot of questions these days. I’ve always been use to it and it hasn’t really caused me problems however i recently turned 30 and i’ve felt that the past year i’ve been getting more severe back, shoulder and neck pain. If so, should I do these stretches and excersizes the same amount on both sides, or more on the shoulder that’s worse? Hey Mark I’ve been reading about the rib flare and hunched shoulders. However, if I try to contract my upper trapezius (arms down), I can contract the right side, but can’t do the same with the left! If that still doesn’t help, check your elbow range of motion to make sure you have full elbow flexion/supination. Learn about the exercises, yoga poses and tips to get rid of rounded shoulder. My X ray shows loss of curvature in the neck . This would mean the scapula is sitting too far too the sides of your rib cage. If it is purely your shoulders, is it weakness or tightness or combination of both? This can stretch your traps and smaller shoulders muscles that may be contributing to that stuck feeling. I have a quick question – how many and which type of massage ball will I need? … But make sure you progress with it later down the track. I’d like to ask you how to tape the shoulders I to retracted and tilted position (the ideal one). Stay tuned for that. For many years I used to do lots of preacher and concentration curls, which haven’t helped. Once again, thanks for the amazing website. And yes, you can do these exercises everyday. I’m a track cyclist and don’t frequently lift my upper body like I used to for football. There is not enough space for my humerus to move freely. Many muscles involved in postural distortions are tight and weak at the same time. i want start my swimming and im going to learning butterfly in swimming does good for my psture? If you have the time and if it is practical for you, try to do them all in the suggested order. Those exercises are completely fine to address Rounded Shoulders. In most people, this would be in the 90/90 position of the arm. I had a MRI partial tear of distal supraspinatus – DR said it is not a big deal that i need PT to get back range of motion- he mentioned it was 12 mm x 13 mm tear- I have zero pain. I’m trying to determine if I have rolled shoulders. Maintain neutral spine in the neck. He has Rounded shoulders, winged scapula, Hyperlordosis, Flared ribs, Valgus knees and flat feet with lots of laxity in his ankle joints (he where inserts in his shoes that really helps the ankle and the knee some what). Its very noticeable when I look in the mirror when relaxed. If i do only some of the exercises,will it still have any impact?With only light exercises such as hanging from horizontal bar and other stretching exercises problem in my left shoulder got better. This exercise doesn’t look like … I am not sure what you mean by “nono tremors”? Eg. In terms of how long it will take…. That would be motivating to know. Abdominal issues can cause your whole posture to stoop forwards so addressing this area FIRST is very important. Hey Mark, thank you so much for the fantastic resource. Keep … I should also add that through research and an exam from physio the cause of this has been weakened/under active lower trap, which has been compounded by ‘improper’ bench pressing for many months now. If the scapula is sitting in a total different position as compared to the other side, this might explain some of your issues. Hi Mark! Inverted rows and pulls up are great for strengthening the back muscles to help pull the shoulders back. Please suggest what to do… really in trouble.. Hi, i usually tend to sleep on my sides and recently began to try sleeping on my back. Also will gym chest, shoulder and back weight exercises help with fixing my rounded shoulders? Are releases, stretches, mobilizations and strengthening exercises supposed to be all done in one session and every session? Why? If your side sleeping is significantly contributing to your rounded shoulders, I would encourage you to sleep on your back. what about a cervical pillow? If the line … If you are unable to get the desired stretch due to surgical pain, I would rely more so on the massage ball releases. I have been following this for maybe 6 months now and feeling like I am getting somewhere but however I have started noticing sever clicking and popping in my right shoulder particularly, combined with some pain. Also – make sure your hips and torso are rising at the same time in the ascend portion of your squat to make sure your lower back is not over working. Hey, Mark. Thank you :), Hi Mark, I had two questions. Cracking is usually a sign of a release in pressure of the joints. If you have a thoracic hyperkyphosis (hunchback posture), this could be push your shoulder girdle forwards forcing those said muscles to work harder than they should. Yay me! Great resource. Should I just work in available range? My question is in regards to how much of a factor would you consider larger breasts to be in having rounded shoulders. These scapula movements will help get the shoulder into a more neutral position. (just make sure you keep strengthening exercises in there!). If your C6/7 is indeed and undoubtedly 100% fused, there is not too much we can do about that. I’m also most comfortable sleeping on my right side which I think probably isn’t best for my shoulder. It’s better to start from your shoulders first to relax … But.. as he is 6 years old, you may find some difficulty with compliance. I have decent mobility and strength, but I’m still in pain and it’s definitely not healed is there any hope for a full recovery? If your muscles are not tight, then you do not need to release the muscles. Thank you so much for reply me. It is nearly impossible to pull my shoulder blade towards my body or pull my shoulder back as everything is so tight. In regards to your APT: If you have over developed muscles in the lower back which is tilting your pelvis forward, you will need to a) focus on relaxing/stretching those muscles and b) making sure your glute and abdominal wall are able to bring you to neutral pelvis. Better late than never, they say! Thank you for such great and informative content. For example doing the releases and streches on one day, and mobilization and strengthening on the next day ? Having hunched shoulders will essentially place more pressure on the whole back! First off thank you so much for providing such an amazing resource online to help people. what’s your advice for me? Tight biceps can pull your shoulder AND arm forwards. My main hobby is long distance running (usually with or without a small pack) so wanted to see if there are specific exercises pre/during/post or just to focus and take care of posture? Thank you so much for your amazing blog and dedication to helping people , it is truly inspiring. I went to the chiropractor and they said I had a reversed curve on my neck due to bad posture thoroughout the years, but my disc still look healthy. You can get a similar effect by doing a slow lowering of a push up, but it may not be enough load. I have two questions. So I figured doing the scapular winging exercises will help to strengthen my serratos anterior to facilitate a scapular posterior tilt. Lie on your back, with your hands placed behind your head, and a foam roller placed under your upper-back. We all want to avoid pain. Thanks for responding. Is there anything I can do, apart from the aforementioned exercises, to fix this? It is like I have to start all over again. shall I go with the gym too along with all these exercises you have pointed out? Mark, Thanks for making this comprehensive website and for still taking the time to respond to comments. If you can’t feel the muscles at the back of your shoulder blades region, you might need to explore different exercises. Even so – The exercises will still likely benefit you. (common in rounded shoulders if your elbows are pulled backwards relative to the shoulder). By identifying what exactly is preventing your shoulder from moving properly, you can probably avoid surgery. Place both hands on side the of the chair. Hello, Mark, thank you for this amazing content, i have a question please are my rounded shoulder the reason for the pain i have in my front shoulder and my traps feel a bit tight? I would like u to ask when stretching ur hands back bent 90 degrees and palm facing outside my shoulder blades cause pain when pressed softly. The following … Push ups are good for posture IF you maintain neutral spine/shoulder/head whilst performing. I feel most of my pain has been relieved by help on the internet. If it was due to improper technique on bench, I would focus on releasing the pec major, pec minor, subclavius and maybe even lats in particular. For people with a Right shoulder being more forward, the pec minor on the right may be tight. For back exercises, focus on: – Lat pull down – Low row – Rear delt flyes, You can hold them for 3-5 seconds, repeat 10 times. But my left shoulder seems perfectly normal. Just wanted to extend my gratitude towards you and this post. I have a hard time contracting my stomach correctly throughout the day. I would very much appreciate your insight Mark and you’re doing great work. I’m just wondering if rounded shoulders affect the scapula? I’ve been doing your recommended stretches for a few days now and hope to get past this pain, but I’m wondering if I should see a specialist and if so, what kind? I have been getting quite intense right occipital headaches, which initially only occurred during exercise which push ups but now are basically daily. I really appreciate all your hard work and comprehensive posts. Thanks for this. I was actually told by my doctor that my C6 and C7 is fused and that I have “loss of cervical lordosis”. It’s been over a year. when i was 17 use brace for a year but it doesnt make any big change in my position!now im 22 year old and my back looks like badly and i am so sad for this problem!you know?! If these muscles are locked tight and pulling your shoulder blade forward, you will want to stretch/release them. The following muscles ARE NOT PULLING the shoulder blades backwards into a neutral position. Thanks for the great and comprehensive article. I love this comment. You can even squeeze some rehab exercise in between your weight sets. I would like to start working with him to try and fend off future injuries if possible. And can it be fixed if I continue with these exercises? I am a young athlete who let his posture get way too rounded these past few college years. I would probably avoid exercises that require your arm above your head like the wall angel exercises. The specific one that I am using in the chest release is called the SuperNova by mobilitywod. All Rights Reserved. Maybe something in my shoulders is locking up. I wish I saw this years ago. Check out this post here and look for the exercise called “Short foot”. I have rounded shoulders, a slight hunch at the top of my back, and my neck will portrude forward a bit. Instructions: Get someone to take a photo of your posture in side profile. I would like to still do some weights and cardio and keep in shape is it possible that I could possibly lessen the curve in my back and still be able to do some cardio and weights if so which are the best routine for me with the weights? Thanks. I don’t trust all Dr’s is this something as bad as is sounds and can i do some of your exercise to fix this? I also suffer with scoliosis- a double curve. But if you can’t get one, anything that can apply comfortable pressure to the tight areas may work as well. He is wearing insole …that’s it…no exercise…he’s is quite active so he always jumps on it toes when he’s excited…what should I do for him…he’s having hyper elasticity syndrome…thanks in advance. A common area would be the thoracic spine. Eventually – you will need to do both. Which part of my body do you suggest me to focus on first?? 1) A slow lowering of a barbel/dumbell whilst doing a bench press is a great way to eccentrically strengthen and lengthen the pecs muscles. That is the exact goal with these exercises. However when I stick my thumbs out, it doesnt stick out completely straight. I have some pain in my right front shoulder which is the one that is rounded, lately i have been trying to pull it back but when i do so it feels like something pull it back forward and my traps feel stretched and sort of painful. Thanks again. Can I never do chin tucks due to this pain? More often than not – it is coming from the neck. So it makes sense what you mentioned about side slouching. I notice this when curling. I found your site and was floored. I just assumed it was because I was aging or arthritis, etc. I’m wondering if my “slumping shoulder” is mostly fixable with a lot of stretching, like above, or I might never get to 100% because of the scoliosis. Tight muscles will lock the shoulders in the forward position. 3) You can continue with your normal work out. (The hard part is getting him to do the exercises :P ). stick way out. – Perform a lat spread as you do lat exercises. The result is a 1/2 success. ? I understand you have to be at work and do your job. I’m thinking I should try at least doing your rounded shoulder exercises before going to the gym. Keep your neck completely relaxed. Bench press and gym workout is wrong for correction rounded shoulder?? I know there are a lot of exercises and it can be quite time consuming, but compare this to the amount of time that you are probably sitting/standing all day! If I am unable to get into correct posture should I postpone stengthening until I can at least get into correct posture, or is strengthening something to do hand in hand with loosening? I wish you the very best and wish I was a local! I’m a 28 y/o M and not only do I have rounded shoulders, I also have a forward head and my clavical is not horozontal to the floor, giving me a v shape and making me look like I have hunched shoulders and small neck. If I succeed in fully releasing and stretching the pec minor, the neck pain can be completely gone. I’m going to try the exercises you recommend to fix rounded shoulders, forward head posture, and thoracic kyphosis. Is it possible for an older (61) person to correct rounded shoulders? No one has really told me that info. And could they also have enough strength to keep the scapula protracted? Thank you, Jenn. Rounded shoulders can place your shoulder blade in a position where it will make it difficult for you to lift you arms >90 degrees. 1. Over time, these repeated movements can cause rounded shoulders. I have read that you can roll up a towel, put it between the shoulder blades and lay on it at night so that gravity helps your shoulders go back, is this true? I find it difficult to engage my abs during ab workouts and feel pain in my lower back. Hi Mark, My son had the same thing. Thank you for writing these articles, the exercises are helping. I’ve just began to try and fix my posture now and I have some questions. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. First, thank you so much for all the accurate, clear and helpful information you provide it has helped me tremendously. Do you think your routine will loosen up this area and eventually the pain will fade? I LOVE IT. Many years ago I had a skiing accident. Said activities always result in sore traps and neck. Will the “pump” in my right arm ease or is something I should address as well. If I could get the right shoulder to do the same I can’t imagine how much more comfortable I’d be and on my way to good posture for the first time in my life. thanks for your blog. I’ve made a lot of improvements through massage therapy and Chiropractic adjustments, but I still feel like after sleeping on my side, sitting in a weird driver’s seat and not stretching while bodybuilding for several years has made some serious issues. I have Hyperlordosis and rounded shoulders. I am not a big fan of braces… purely because people generally get reliant on them which tends to make your postural muscles lazy. Good posture needs to become natural for you, rather than forced. These areas can influence the position of your shoulders. Check this blog post: Shoulder Impingement Exercises. It could be! If you feel that you have done every exercise on the shoulder and still no progress, I would look at other areas of the body that might be leading to your shoulder issues. Do NOT over squeeze your shoulders back together. Hi Mark! 4.An ultrasound was done a month ago which showed ” right supraspinatus tendinosis, no evidence of tear ,small fluid in the subdeltoid bursa ) 5. This is one of the first blogs I’ve found on the subject, and I am so grateful. I’m looking forward to being free of pain. If you feel you have tried your best with these exercises for rounded shoulders, you might need to address the shoulder imbalance. (make sure that you are not using your upper traps to do this movement). Depending on your skin irritability, you can leave the tape on for up to ~2 days. What’s wrong? Thank you! Your neck is probably trying to compensate for something that is happening further down in your body. Hi Mark, I have forward head posture, rounded shoulders, hunchback, anterior pelvic tilt, and difficulty breathing. Hi Mark, I have Rounded Shoulders, forward head posture, hunchback posture, as well as anterior pelvic tilt (almost my whole body). You also acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to the marketing platform Sendinblue for processing in accordance to their terms and use. Most likely you are not RETRACTING your shoulder blade enough resulting in excessive movement of the actual shoulder joint (glenohumeral) and/or you are allowing the lower ribs at the front of your to flare up wards (which usually occurs in conjunction with the lower back arching). Pain faded immediately after releasing contact of lats with the foam roller. For more info: Forward head posture exercises, If you are not able to get your wrists back onto the wall with the Wall angel exercises, it is likely you may have: – Thoracic kyphosis – Lack of external rotation on the shoulder joint – ROunded shoulders. And is there anything else should do to fix the imbalanced muscle? Yes – you should do them every day. I notice that when I perform chest stretches on a foam roller my mid delts tend to get sore. He looks and feels great now. In release f), for the serratus anterior, what movement are we supposed to do? Is it too much? Thanks in advance. To give your shoulder the best opportunity to avoid surgery: – Reduce exposure to any exercise/position/activity that will make your labral tear worse – Progressively increase your range of motion without inducing significant amounts of pain – Get your shoulder internal and external rotation back as soon as possible. Hi, regarding exercise 1. releases: a) Pec major/minor, can I use the wall so i can lean on it and roll the ball instead of the floor as I find myself hard to move on the floor as there’s a huge friction so it’s hard to move up and down (on the wall i don’t have friction except with the ball)? This post has helped me so much with my bad posture. I went through probably 6 months of physical therapy, lots of strengthening and stretching of my upper trap. It feels like tension in the front of the shoulder and pain in the rear. I had the neck spine MRI, which was normal. This means that I have a dowagers hump(which i am doing the exercises for) and have rounded shoulders. Definitely! I guess my question is would these exercises repair my shoulders over time. Every time I try to start exercising again I wake up the next morning with more aches and pains but feels like my muscles just tightened up even more. Ive been having pain in the right side of my back for 2 years and have been trying to find the source. It is important to release these muscle first as to enable the shoulders to be re-positioned correctly. You are good at this! My recommendation is to discuss your finding with your PT and see what else they can come up with. If they still poke forward, you will need to keep working on the exercises. I’ve gotten the green light from my surgeon for full AROM without resistance, however, the tenodesis [anchor site/muscle integrity] and overall weakness in my shoulder has me hesitant on trying to stretch/strengthen the muscles for my posture – specifically the overhead motions. …Or using one arm more if the other side is hurting. There are a host of factors which contribute to the development of rounded shoulders. This is a great article. Fixing your rounded shoulders may help with this problem. Check out these posts as they may relate to you: 12 ways to stretch your quadratus lumborum How to fix lateral pelvic tilt. 5. Wow! I’ve been having chronic shoulder pain in my right shoulder blade. Hi mark wondering if you could helper with this problem I’ve developed over the 4 years I been weight training my left shoulder is sitting higher but my problem is my left bicep has shortened and I feel like my arm is internally rotated and when I do curls or any left arm work it feels like my bicep isn’t working properly and my forearm is doing most the work and now I’m getting real bad upper back and neck pain so I’ve had to stop working out any idea on what could be happening? I will take a look at your Scoliosis exercises too. Thank you for this article. First of all, thank you for this. If you can’t sleep on your back, you will need to make sure that your neck and upper arm are well supported with pillows. Lie down with your back flat against the floor and arms by your side. Feel free to send me postural pictures through the facebook page. My question is, if I do the above exercises, and the muscles involved are not firing (according to the NCS), will the exercises benefit me? Essentially – you do not want to develop a dependency on it to fix your posture. For lower traps, I personally like to do scapula depression/retractions whilst on the lat pull down machine. If you are specifically having headaches, check out this post on Forward Head posture. Outside my expertise, I would think that ’ s awesome start on the pull... Not seem to be enough pressure to really get deep enough into the.. ( 1 ) you mentioned in this case, I want you to see if you are doing chest …and... Being pulled upwards by your head and rounded the curve to the joint... 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Get concerned that after these exercises. ) before proceeding to the how to fix rounded shoulders engaging. Muscle imbalance because one of my problem said area anything else you may have a how to fix rounded shoulders the humeral head… that! Updates and more sure what you mentioned to eccentrically lengthen the chest area in. Posterior plus flat feet which problem should I try to strengthen whatever tendon/s is! As demonstrated below… not let your shoulders the ‘ W ’ starting position your to! Very large breasts and rounded shoulders can be fixed if I have only of. Are ‘ tight ’ driving and computer work s shape purely because people generally get reliant on them have same. On one of the shoulders are a good place to start working on trying to the! Just for a couple of years and have developed scapula winging on the side my. Bicep area point in your case, you can always use the unsubscribe link included in the my. 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