Recent Posts

A Little Good Exercise, a Lot of Bad Food - Overwe... Common Exercises Teach Hip Tightness When Kicking,... Breasts Don't Have To Cause Back Pain This Weeks' Best of Health Matters Metabolism - How to Lose Weight and Save Money Throw a Stronger Punch (or Push a Car or Stroller)... The Best of the Medical Blogosphere Free Exercise and Free Back and Knee Pain Preventi... How Good Would You Look From 400 Squats a Day - Ju... Which Ancient Exercise Gives Focus and Concentration?

Archives

August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010

Fixing Upper Back and Neck Pain

Monday, October 16, 2006
Healthline

The post Breasts Causing Upper Back Pain is a Myth explained that a tilted-forward position of the head and neck, called a forward head, is not the normal tilt to the neck. It is an avoidable slouch that causes much upper back, neck, and shoulder pain, and pressures the discs of the upper spine.

Do you have a forward head? Here is a test, called The Wall Test:
If you can't put your back against a wall and comfortably touch the back of your head to the wall too without overarching your back or raising your chin, that usually indicates that the muscles in front of your chest are so tight that they restrict normal standing. The resulting bent-forward position of your neck creates large forces on the muscles and joints of your upper spine as it strains to hold the weight of your head forward of the supporting spine instead of above it.

Being too tight to stand and sit upright instead of slouching forward is common, even among people who stretch regularly. The reason is that they usually practice stretching forward, rarely stretching the front muscles by stretching back. In turn, holding your body bent forward instead of upright perpetuates tightness.

To lengthen the front chest (pectoral) area needed to stop the slouching-tightness cycle, use the photo above left for reference and try this:
Remember that the wall test (checking if you are straight against a wall) is a test - it is not an exercise that fixes anything, it tells if you are doing the pectoral stretch and two more stretches to correctly restore anterior muscle resting length. This pectoral stretch is one of three techniques to stop upper body tightness that prevents standing and moving in healthy ways.

Three stretches together help more. After doing this pectoral stretch and seeing the results with the Wall Test, add the next two stretches to restore resting length to be able to stand comfortably:
2. Nice Neck Stretch - trapezius stretch
3. Friday Fast Fitness - Better Shoulder and Triceps Stretch

After each stretch, check yourself again with the wall test to see if you did them in the way intended - to work. Then, remember that head and body position is voluntary. Hold your head up and shoulders back softly all the time. The stretches just make it possible YOU are the one to hold it there and retrain your body. No adjustments or bracing does that.

Do the pectoral stretch first thing every morning and several times every day to learn healthy positioning. Then check yourself with the wall test to see if you did it in a way that worked. Use this pectoral stretch and the two other stretches (nice trapezius stretch and better triceps stretch) instead of the stretch where you stand in a doorway or corner to stretch both arms at once, and instead of pulling your straight arm(s) behind you - what I call, The Stretch You Need The Least.

The three stretches will stop pain for the short term. In fact, if you don't feel improved right away, you're doing them wrong. Then for the fix, use them to allow you to hold healthy upright positioning. By not letting your head hang forward all day, you will no longer need constant pills, adjustments, or treatments for pain. You will stop the cause.

If You Have Questions:
---
I make posts from fun mail. Before asking more questions, see if your answers are already here - click labels, links in posts, archives at right, and Fitness Fixer Index. For answers to personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions.
Try fun stuff, then contribute - Read success stories of these methods and send your own.
Subscribe to The Fitness Fixer, free. Click "updates via e-mail" (under trumpet) upper right.
See Dr. Bookspan's Books, take a Class, get certified DrBookspan.com/Academy.
---

Thank you to photo subject Paul Plevakas, photo © copyright Dr. Jolie Bookspan
from the book Fix Your Own Pain Without Drugs or Surgery Without Drugs or Surgery

Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Permalink | Email Post

40 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home