Upper Cross Syndrome Explained

January 2, 2013 By 1 Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

Upper Cross Syndrome is a postural dysfunction in the shoulder region. Signs of UCS included shoulders being rolled forward, shoulder shrugging during exercise and extension of the neck causing the head to be pushed in front of the body.

Upper Cross Syndrome is essentially an imbalance of muscular tension that is fairly common among the general population. Muscles such as the Pectoralis Major, Pectoralis Minor, and Upper Trapezius muscles will have a higher relative tension than muscles such as Lower Trapezius, Deep Neck Flexors, Rhomboids and Serratus Anterior.

Upper Cross Syndrome

UCS is typically caused by people who train their chest more than their back. So if you grew up doing push-ups without doing exercise like inverted rows, you are a prime candidate for UCS. Other factors such as sleeping posture, sitting at a desk without proper posture for extended periods of time and poor exercise form are all contributing factors to the development of UCS.

These muscular imbalances cause some additional kyphosis of the spine as well as an array of problems resulting from poor posture.

One thing that I have noticed in my time training professional athletes is that most guys are Upper Trap dominant, meaning that when it comes time to retract the scapula, the shoulder blade uses an upward glide because their Lower and Middle Traps aren’t strong enough. This, of course, leads to UCS, so one way to help correct this syndrome is to strengthen the Lower and Middle Traps.

Trapezius

Another way to correct this postural issue is to create a chest to back exercise ratio that favors your posterior (back) side. I would recommend at least 1:3. This will allow for your posterior chain to gain ground on your chest muscles thus pulling your shoulders back to the proper position. Along the same lines, we want to make sure that we stretch the tight muscles to release tension and increase length. We also need to make sure we create enough Thoracic Spine mobility.

Lastly, it’s important to incorporate soft tissue work into the treatment program. For this particular region, using a lacrosse ball or a baseball work the best. Make sure you emphasize the Upper Trap and Pectorals during your myofascial release.

Upper Cross Syndrome is very common and should be treated in order to avoid future injury as a result of poor posture.

IMAGES COURTESY OF:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KVPq1Qq-sEA/ThHWQEZg3pI/AAAAAAAAAB0/CwWepGbC5ZQ/s400/Trapezius.jpg

http://www.empowher.com/files/ebsco/images/si1544.jpg

http://erikdalton.com/images/upper-crossed-syndrome.jpg

Filed Under: Anatomy, Articles, Injury Prevention, Performance Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Improving Squat Depth

July 19, 2012 By 2 Comments

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

One of the cues coaches look for when coaching a squat is the pelvic alignment. When squatting, we are taught to tighten your back and try and maintain an anterior tilt of the pelvis. Once the athlete can longer maintain this form, then they have reached their maximum squat depth.

If we want to keep the pelvis in anterior tilt, we must think about what muscles are pulling the pelvis posteriorly. The muscles of the posterior thigh musculature will be the primary pullers here. The hamstrings, specifically the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus, pull the pelvis down from behind the leg. The tighter these muscles are, the quicker in the squatting movement the pelvis will lose its anterior tilt. Thus we must decrease the tension in the muscle in order to increase your squat depth.

It’s also important to recognize the rectus abdominis role pulling the pelvis posteriorly. The rectus abdominis, which is essentially your six-pack, is often overlooked in this process due to its anterior bodily location. However the inferior attachment of this muscle is on the bottom of the pelvis so when this particular muscle is tight, it pulls the pelvis from the bottom and into posterior tilt.

Now we know from my article “Hamstrings and Back Problems are KINECTed” what the tilt of your pelvis can have on the health of your back, so we also know why it’s so important to maintain a proper pelvic tilt throughout the squatting motion. If your technically efficient squat depth is not deep enough, we need to work on the muscle flexibility of these muscles.

PNF Stretching is a great option for increasing flexibility in the hamstrings but can be difficult for the rectus abdominis. Read about PNF Stretching HERE. For your six-pack, some prone press ups will work well. Livestrong.com has few more for you HERE.

  • THE PICTURE DISPLAYS LEBRON JAMES PULLING HIMSELF INTO POSTERIOR TILT (AS WELL AS SOME GOOD T-SPINE FLEXION) WHILE TYING HIS SHOES

SOURCE: http://solacenmt.blogspot.com/2010/11/pelvic-tilt-and-its-effect-on-lower.html

Filed Under: Injury Prevention Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hamstrings and Back Problems are KINECTed

June 11, 2012 By 1 Comment

By, Sean Light CSCS

SLStrength.com

Poor hamstring flexibility puts your body at risk and can lead to debilitating back injuries. If the elasticity of the hamstrings is not sufficient, the problem will likely work its way up the kinetic chain, causing more problems and causing vulnerability in your spine.

The kinetic chain is essentially the relationship of various body parts and how they work together to create movement. For example, if you need to bend over and pick something up off of the ground your hamstrings need to be able to stretch. If they are not flexible enough, your body needs to adjust in order to get the object from the floor. Maybe you twist your torso to get closer to the ground, maybe you squat to eliminate the need for hamstring flexibility, or maybe you bend at your back. This final possibility is known as spinal flexion and too much of this will lead to spinal injuries.

Once the hamstrings reach their maximal length, the next thing to change is the pelvis. The pelvis is the bone at your hips and it can tilt in two ways, posteriorly and anteriorly. When lifting off of the ground, you want to maintain an anterior pelvic tilt. This is when the top of the pelvis is tilted forward. This will allow your lumbar spine (the lower section of your spine) to stay in its natural curvature.

The spine has four natural curves. The cervical curvature is at the top of the spine and bends towards the front of your body. The thoracic curvature, at the middle of your back, bends towards your back. Similarly, the lumbar curvature and sacral curvatures bend to the front and back respectively.

If your pelvis creates a posterior pelvic tilt during a lift then it will take your lumbar spine out of its natural form and into spinal flexion. Too much spinal flexion will improperly distribute weight onto your intervertebral discs. When standing, the pressure on your spinal discs equates to 100PSIs. When sitting slouched you create up to 175PSIs of pressure, but when you try to lift a twenty-five pound box off of the ground with too much spinal flexion, you create over 400PSIs of pressure.

This enormous amount of pressure can create injuries such as bulging, ruptured or even degenerative discs. Aside from disc injuries, muscular strains and ligament sprains also increase in possibility when spinal flexion is too great.

A simple test to see if you are at risk for these problems as a result of poor hamstring elasticity would be to stand up, keep your legs straight and touch your toes. Make a mental note of how far down you could go. Then bend down and touch your toes while only hip hinging. Hip hinging is only bending at your hips, or using your hips as a hinge like on a door. While hip hinging, focus on pushing your butt backwards. Most likely, you will not be able to go nearly as far on the hip hinge as you were on the first try. This is because you eliminate the possibility of spinal flexion thus decreasing your total range of motion.

No matter your range of flexibility in your hamstrings, continue to work at its flexibility to maintain and ensure minimal risk of back problems as a result of poor hamstring flexibility.

REFERENCES:

health.rush.edu

http://www.k-state.edu/safety/training/Safe%20Lifting/Safe%20Lifting%20is%20not%20an%20accident-PowerPoint_files/frame.htm

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-spinal-health

Filed Under: Injury Prevention Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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