Change Your Posture, Change Your Performance [Guest Post]

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought to yourself, "My posture sucks!"? Or was your mom constantly on you about "sitting up straight!"?

Well then this post my friend, is for you. I hope we got to you in time before you became one of the many CrossFit athletes who have shown up at my chiropractic clinic with a shoulder problem due to rounded shoulders. By following the recommendations laid out below you will dramatically reduce your susceptibility to conditions such as rotator cuff tears and impingement syndrome while simultaneously improving your performance at CrossFit. Read On!

The true name for "rounded shoulders" is Upper Cross Syndrome

This issue arises due to a combination of the muscles in the front of the body becoming tight and hyperactive while the muscles in the back become weak and inhibited. To be specific, the muscles responsible for internally rotating the shoulder including the pectoralis major, teres major, latissimus dorsi and anterior deltoid become chronically shortened. Where as the muscles responsible for externally rotating the shoulder which are the infraspinatus, teres minor and posterior deltoid become chronically lengthened. This imbalance allows for the shoulders to round forward and initiates a cascade of potential injuries due to poor bio-mechanics.

How might you create this issue?

Well, it all comes down to body position. Examples include sitting position, standing position, and sleeping position. Odds are you spend the overwhelming majority of your time in these postures. Therefore, if you do not maintain an active posture and you sleep on your side or stomach then you are naturally creating Upper Cross Syndrome. Damn it! Other potential causal factors include over training the large muscle groups (internal rotators) and neglecting to work the small muscle groups (external rotators). Although this concern is far more common in your globo-gym athlete who does the old "back and bi's, chest and tri's" routine, CrossFitters can also fall into the category.

If you would like to avoid dreading overhead squat WOD’s then I strongly suggest the following action steps to improve your shoulder mechanics.

First, get with your coach and have them watch your body position in the movements that are causing the discomfort.

Most commonly there will be an error in your form that must be corrected, otherwise all rehab efforts will be pointless.

Second, in order to allow the shoulder complex to sit appropriately on the body rather than being pulled forward, stretching of the internal rotators is necessary.

Utilizing a door way stretch for the pecs, taking a foam roller to your lats and teres major, and a lacrosse ball to your anterior deltoid will get you about 75% of the way home. These stretches should be done daily.

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Finally, initiating a strengthening routine for the external rotators and the mid and lower trapezius is in order.

The external rotators can be quickly addressed via a side lying fly with the elbow kept close to the body. Where as the mid and lower trap, which are designed to keep the shoulder girdle pinned back and downward, can be strengthened via rowing, ring rows, and superman's.

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Each of these exercises are best done following an upper body workout. I recommend doing them approximately four times per week to not over train these muscles and potentially open you up to injury due to fatigue.

I would be leaving a critical section out of this discussion if I were not to describe the importance of occasionally having your shoulder evaluated to see if an adjustment is necessary. This thought should enter your mind if the above mentioned program is unsuccessful. On a number of occasions a specific adjustment to the glenhohumeral joint will take a restricted and poorly functioning shoulder and immediately improve the range of motion and performance. This procedure is often the kick start that is necessary to align the joint and release the capsule. An adjustment of this nature would need to be performed by an extremity proficient chiropractor.

For more information on the shoulder or if you are interested in finding a chiropractor that is right for you, please visit SheaFamilyChiropractic.com or go to BetweenWODs.com. Lastly, please like our Facebook page at facebook.com/SheaFamilyChiropractic for all of the latest in injury prevention, athletic performance and WOD recovery techniques.

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Some info all about the author, Dr. Devin Shea D.C., C.C.W.P., C.S.C.S.

Doctor of Chiropractic – Founder and Lead Doctor of Shea Family Chiropractic
Crossfit Athlete since 2010
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Chiropractic Wellness Practitioner
Paleo Diet Expert
Crossfit Mobility Expert
Gonstead Extremity Certified Chiropractor

Be sure to follow Doc Devin on Twitter too !

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