Sedentary work does not spare the spine and we can see this every day - stoop, pain, stiffness of movements disturb many people - from schoolchildren to pensioners. How to straighten your shoulders and return your back to normal? In the article, we will provide many useful and simple exercises that will help you maintain spinal health.
A complex approach
You must remember that the shoulders are not a separate part of the body, living their own lives. This is a component of the musculoskeletal complex, which combines the neck, ribs, shoulder blades and directly the shoulders.
Let's recall school biology, namely the anatomy section. The humerus complex is inextricably linked to the humerus, collarbone, thoracic spine, chest and shoulder blades. Thanks to this, we are able to make a huge range of motion in the upper body. But unlike, for example, the hip joint, which works according to the hinge principle, all these bones can optimally perform their functions only thanks to the complex system of muscles and ligaments. When soft tissues are forced to perform uniform movements for a long time or to be in the same position, their mobility decreases and they “remember” the wrong position.
How to straighten shoulders, whose muscles froze in the wrong position and cause pain, inconvenience, and also worsen the work of other body systems (primarily respiratory and cardiac)? Make a habit of regularly performing certain exercises at least once a day. With rare workouts, you won’t achieve anything. If you have a sedentary job, then try to make time for dinner to stretch your back a little.
Posture correction
Let's start with the simplest. Let this exercise be the very first one that you will perform for back health, as it helps the muscles “remember” their correct position, straighten the spine, and generally improves blood flow in this area.
How to straighten your shoulders with improved posture:
- Stand straight and slightly slouch forward. Do not overdo it, because, most likely, you have already taken a position in this position.
- Now straighten up, slightly bending the upper part of the spine. Do not strain your neck or lower back.
- To check the correctness of the exercise, place your thumbs between the shoulder blades and feel the movement of the muscles in this area. Repeat 3-5 times.
Movement accuracy
How to straighten your shoulders if you still feel stiff?
Perform up and down shoulder blades. It sounds simple, but it actually requires some skill. Concentrate on moving your shoulder blades, not just moving your shoulders.
To do this, stand in a way that is comfortable for you and slide the shoulder blades up, but not more than 1 cm. Follow your posture and hold the position for 10 seconds. Then lower the shoulder blades by 1 cm and wait a bit again. Repeat several times.
The most effective shoulder muscle exercises
Even simple movements familiar from physical education lessons will help straighten your shoulders.
For example, torsion by the shoulder joint: stand upright while holding your posture and rotate your shoulders (not with your hands) clockwise 10 times, then counterclockwise.
Another good exercise is known as a castle. To do this, you need to raise the right hand, bend it and put it on the shoulder blade, the left hand at this time bends at the elbow and touches the shoulder blade from below. Now try to grab the fingers of one palm on the other. Try to press them as close to the shoulder blade as possible. Repeat by changing the position of the hands.
If your flexibility is not enough to reach the fingers of the other hand, take a regular towel and try to grab it.
In any case, proceed with caution without overstraining the untrained muscles so as not to aggravate the problem.
After that, you can do a swipe with your hands - just as straight arms, and leaning against the wall and bending your arms at an angle of 90 degrees.
How to straighten stooped shoulders
Try regular simple exercises like this:
Stretching the shoulder: raise your right hand and bend at the elbow, guiding your fingers from the left shoulder to the side, then grasp the elbow with your second hand and slightly pull it to the left side. Try to slightly increase the amplitude of the movement each time, but do not overdo it.
Cobra flexion or posture is a very effective exercise that helps straighten your shoulders and straighten your back. To complete it you will need a gymnastic mat. Lie on your stomach, bend your elbows and place your palms down at shoulder level. Now slowly tear off the chest from the floor, lifting the shoulder blades up, avoiding excessive deflection in the lower back. Try to move only the middle and upper spine. From the first time, it is possible that you will not be able to rise high enough. Take your time, after a few days the spine will become more flexible, and then you can safely stretch it.
Now you know how to straighten your shoulders to overcome stoop. Do not forget that the effectiveness of these exercises will directly depend on the frequency of their implementation. And always listen to your body - careless and sudden movement can give a lot of problems.
Good habits
The secret of how to straighten your shoulders and take care of your back health lies not only in exercises, but also in the formation of good habits.
For example, take more breaks during sedentary work and move more - even if it means going through a couple of floors instead of using the elevator. Many help with a small office trick - to put the printer away from the desktop. So every time you need to print a document, you will be forced to walk a bit.
Do not forget that your shoulders are not earrings, so do not allow your neck to bend constantly and your shoulders to your ears.
If it is difficult to hold your posture, it will not be superfluous to purchase special pads on the chair seat, which help maintain the correct bending of the spine or special corsets. The latter can be purchased at the pharmacy.
They are invisible under ordinary clothes and, with proper selection, will help to control the position of the shoulders and avoid stoop.