neck and upper back pain? this one's for you.

Hello beautiful friends,

Today I’m sharing an exercise for your shoulder girdle (scapula, shoulder joint and clavicle complex). This is particularly for you if you have neck or upper shoulder tension or pain, but applicable to you too, if you have a body. 😊

Tension in the neck and shoulders is of course related to your posture. But you know that. So I'm going to forego the lecture today and instead fast forward to one of the essential and little known solutions.

When you have tension in the neck-shoulder area it’s natural to want to massage and/or stretch it. You might hang your head forward from side to side and that can make you feel better for a short time. But that’s only half the picture.

I’m spilling the golden beans here. The secret is you have to go the other way too. Commonly, tension in the neck and upper shoulders is caused by a limitation in the mobility of the thoracic spine and the shoulder girdle ... backwards. (I’ll discuss the thoracic spine another day).

Many people I find, are unable to lift their shoulders to vertical, netherloan backwards. And then most people think that if they can lift their shoulders to vertical, they have a good range of motion. Not so.

Your shoulders need to move beyond vertical and posterior to the side plane of the body – known as the coronal plane – for your neck and shoulder girdle to be healthy and function well.

When the shoulders have ample freedom of movement posterior to the body, the tissues at the front of the shoulder joint – the anterior capsule, the pectoral muscles and intercostals – become supple and open, giving rise to three favourable effects:

(i) There is diminished resistance at the front of the chest and shoulders allowing the posterior muscles to work with ease, or in other words, with less tension.

(ii) With this greater posterior range of shoulder motion, the posterior muscles are also able to contract more deeply and effectively to control the shoulder girdle.

(iii) Thirdly, and this is possibly the most important point, this suppleness anteriorly also allows the shoulder girdles to sit naturally on top of your chest with ease (rather than drifting forward). This upright position reduces neck and upper back (“shoulder”) tension even more.

You won’t have to drag your shoulders back ever again!

The Quadrant Stretch

There are several ways you can achieve this mobility. Today I’m sharing the Quadrant Stretch in the doorway. You may know this exercise but do you do it for long enough or often enough to get tangible results, viz. increased range of motion AND a shift in the posture of your shoulder girdle?

A good practice is:

Stretch: 2-3 minutes

3-5 times / day (depending on your level of stiffness and discomfort).

3-5 days / week

You could call Monday, Wednesday and Friday your shoulder awareness days and do the Quadrant Stretch three times on each of those days. Tune into how your body feels and functions and what your body needs until you feel that your shoulder mobility is changing for the better. Remember you're looking to feel and see:

(i) increased range of motion

(ii) your shoulders naturally 'sit' in a more upright posture

And meanwhile (I have to include one plug for posture) don’t forget to keep your chest upright throughout the day. That’s also an integral part to bring your shoulders into a healthy postural position and to ease neck and shoulder pain and tension for good.

Once your shoulder girdles have opened up even a little, you’ll most likely experience an easing of your symptoms. I'd love to hear how you go...

Yours in freedom and JOY,