Fixing Those Rounded Shoulders

One of the most common reasons for treatment I see is for clients looking to fix their posture and rounded shoulders. This can be extremely common with people who look at their phones a lot, sit at a computer throughout the day, ride bikes and more. Often people think the simple solution is to stretch their chest. However, it's often a balance of both overworking and underworking muscles.

Balancing the Muscles

Postural changes are often a balance of overworking and underworking muscles. Often the muscles in the front will be short and the muscles in the back are overly stretched. Making sure to strengthen the muscles in the back is just as if not more important than stretching the muscles in the back.

Muscles overworking in the front

• Pectoralis Major Sternal & Clavicular

• Pectoralis Minor

Muscle underworking in the back

• Middle & Lower Trapezius

• Rhomboids Major and Minor

• Latissimus Dorsi

Exercises to strengthen Middle/Lower Traps & Rhomboids:

How to properly engage your Latissimus Dorsi during lat pull-downs:

Stretching Pectoralis Major and Minor:

Using P-DTR to help recover from forward shoulder

P-DTR can be an extremely helpful in helping people release the muscles in the front as well as engage the muscles in the back. When muscles get locked in a forward position this may be due to some type of compensation and the same can be said with the brain avoiding the activation of muscles in the back. Using P-DTR we can help your body activate and utilize these muscles so they properly engage better.

In some scenarios there may also be a spinal component in which case we may have to assess spinal ligaments as well to make sure your body isn't avoiding them leading to a curvature.

Assisting muscular relief with massage therapy

The pectorals can often be tight and need a little help being released. Massage therapy techniques including swedish/deep tissue massage, cupping therapy, and gua sha can be extremely beneficial to help release the muscles and break apart and scar tissue that could be holding the pectorals forward.

Schedule Your Bodywork Session Today:

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Learn more about P-DTR here:

https://www.levelupmt.com/p-dtr