Better late than never...
We are well into Summer now although the weather may have us thinking otherwise! I have been out of the blogging world for a few months now due to holidays, time off and becoming a home owner (ahhhh), but I'm back into it and ready to give all of my amazing clients and newcomers something to read. Now it's time for a game of noughts and crosses... not your typical game though, in fact discussing something that is called upper and lower cross syndrome. Our bodies are complex things, we are not designed for modern day life spent sat at a desk on a computer or simply doing anything that involves our bodies to do things in front of us. The common rounded shoulders, sore necks, backs etc. This post is a litte insight into a theory by Janda (1988) who explored the positions our body adopts due to postural changes and tightness/shortness in our muscles.
Upper cross sydrome (UCS) is the combination of tightness anteriorly and posteriorly in the upper back. The upper trapezius and the levator scapula are tight posteriorly and anteriorly the pectoral muscles. As a consequence of this tightness, there is weakness posteriorly in the middle and lower trapezius and anteriorly deep into the neck at the cervical flexors. The tightness and weakness create a cross effect on the upper body demonstrated well in this illustration:
Due to these imbalances in the upper body, joint dysfunction can occur in the neck (most commonly C4 and C5 atlanto-occipital joint), at the shoulder (glenohumeral joint), where the cervical spine meets the thoracic (cervicothoracic junction) and T4/T5. Postural changes are noted with UCS; Increased forward placement of the head, lordosis (inward curvature) in the cervical spine and kyphosis (outward curvature) in the thoracic spine. Also elevation in the shoulders and rotation in the scapulae. These postural changes cause instability in the shoulder joint, thus causing the scapulae to become displaced, by increased rotation/winging of the shoulder blade. As a consequence of this, other muscles have to work overtime to support this area of the body. To ensure the shoulder joint remains stable, your levator scapula and upper fibres of trapezius increase activity therefore becoming easily worn out and tight. If this all sounds too technical and you switched off about 5 minutes ago, fear not just grab trusty google and by researching these muscles you can see whether this applies to you. If you suffer from issues in this area of the body (which in most of my clients case is yes) then it might be time you had these muscles relieved with a massage and there are also strengthening exercises for the weak muscle groups.
Lower Cross syndrome (LCS) is a combinationion of tightness and weakness of muscles in the lower part of the body. Posteriorly there is tightness in the thoracic and lumbar extensor muscles and anterior tightness in the illiopsoas muscles and rectus femoris. There is weakness posteriorly in gluteus maximus and medius (see previous blog post) and anteriorly deep in the abdominal muscles. This pattern of tightness and weakness in this area of the body causes joint dysfunction around L4/L5-S1, sacrioiliac joint and the hips. Postural changes such as anterior tilt of the pelvis, lumbar lordosis, lateral rotation of the leg and hyperextension of the knee. If present with lordosis that is short and deep then the pelvic muscles are causing this to happen. If lordosis is shallow and extends up to the thoracic area then the abdominal muscles is where the imbalance originates. Again, if you feel like you are suffering with any of these symptoms/areas of tightness then regular massage on the tight muscles and strengthening exercises on the weaker ones can help shift imbalances and improve posture.
It is likely that in this modern age we all suffer with some kind of upper or lower cross syndrome. In our hectic lifestyles we need to make sure we take time out to identifiy these issues, to allow for improvements in day to day life. Over the summer if you have some free time, book a massage or
simply just take some time to assess how you are feeling and be more body aware. If you work at a desk take regular breaks to walk around for a few minutes, drink plenty of water and keep moving.
Have a lovely summer all of you and take care! Any requests about topics you'd be interested in knowing more about I will be more than happy to have a look into it for you and even do a blog post about it.
BW Massage Therapy x
