You must have seen stooped elderly people with rounded shoulders, hunched backs and forward shifting heads, which are typical clinical manifestations of upper cross syndrome. This is a typical clinical manifestation of upper crossed syndrome. But upper crossed syndrome is not exclusive to the elderly, but is more common in many young people (especially young women) who lack exercise for a long time. But lack of exercise is by no means a unique label for upper cross syndrome, and is not uncommon even in those who go to the gym 3 times a week and work out year-round. Regardless of exercise or inactivity, upper cross syndrome can occur as long as the wrong posture is there. If patients are blindly advised to exercise by running, swimming or cycling because of their doctor or physical therapist’s ignorance of upper cross syndrome, instead of improving the symptoms of the respective disorder, it can lead to further deterioration of the condition.
What is upper cross syndrome
Upper cross syndrome refers to the imbalance of the muscles in the corresponding area (mainly the pectoralis major muscle is too tight and shortened, the rhomboid and rhomboid muscles are elongated and weak) caused by prolonged head down or excessive exercise of the chest muscles (neglecting the back muscles and not performing stretching exercises for the chest muscles), resulting in forward head tilt (reduction or straightening of the normal curvature of the cervical spine), chest inclusion (rounded shoulders), hunchback (increased curvature of the thoracic spine), and This leads to a series of physical changes such as shrugging of the scapulae, which in turn leads to various symptoms such as tension and pain in the neck and shoulder muscles, headache and dizziness, arm numbness, poor breathing, heartburn and chest tightness, and even constipation.
Causes of upper cross syndrome
The correct upper body posture should be whether in sitting or standing position, should be upright, that is, the jaw is slightly closed, the head above the shoulders, shoulders in the torso in the back, as the so-called chest and head, shoulders open posture. And bad upper body posture, such as long time low head, hunchback, day long because of the lower chest and the upper back of the neck muscle tension and shortening (such as the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, latissimus dorsi, scapular muscle, rhomboid muscle upper bundle, sternocleidomastoid muscle, rhomboid muscle), the lower back and upper neck muscle is elongated and weak (such as rhomboid muscle, rhomboid muscle in the lower bundle, the front serratus, so that the shoulder external rotation of the rotator cuff muscle group (under the gonad muscle, small round muscle ), and deep cervical flexors), the strong and weak muscles form a typical crossover, resulting in a series of physical changes such as forward head tilt (loss or reduction of the normal physiological curvature of the cervical spine), chest inclusion (rounded shoulders), hunchback (increased curvature of the thoracic spine), and scapular shrugging, and the corresponding clinical symptoms, which is often referred to as upper crossover syndrome.
In addition, improper strength training can also affect the human body shape, such as some bodybuilders over-trained chest muscles (relatively ignore the back muscles), and do not pay attention to stretching exercises, there will be upper cross syndrome.
Adverse effects of upper cross syndrome
Low head, chest, hunched back and shrugged shoulders give a not very beautiful impression in terms of shape, but this is not the main point, the focus is to lead to a series of discomfort, such as tension and pain in the back of the neck, and even headache and dizziness, breathing difficulties, panic and chest tightness. A study found that women have far more headaches, migraines and cervical pain than men, which may be closely related to upper cross syndrome, because the strength of women’s neck muscles is much less than that of men, but the weight of the head is almost equivalent, and it is easier to develop upper cross syndrome in the same body position.
1.Because of muscle tension in the head, neck and anterior thoracic region, it can cause neck, shoulder and back pain and sternal pain.
2, because the curvature of the cervical vertebrae becomes smaller or even disappears, in serious cases, the nerves between the cervical vertebrae are compressed, which can cause headache and arm pain and numbness, and compress the vertebral artery that runs between the cervical vertebrae, causing dizziness due to insufficient blood supply to the brain.
3, because of the hunched chest, the volume of the chest cavity is reduced, which can cause poor breathing, reduced lung capacity and reduced exercise capacity.
4.Because of round shoulder posture, the diaphragm will be in tension to shorten samarium fei what source of geometrical contaminated decadence, and it is hard to compel the caries of the brain to cut the beak of the title ＜and the woods of the parrot curtain to screw (12) frequency of the edge of the brain whoosh the hand (19) basis
5, because of the change of abdominal volume, affecting digestion and nutrient absorption, can cause constipation.
6.Because of the weakened strength of the external shoulder rotators in the round shoulder posture, resulting in the inability to make the upper arm externally rotate in time during shoulder abduction will cause the large humeral tuberosity to impact with the acromion and squeeze the supraspinatus and biceps long head tendons, thus causing either limited shoulder abduction or subacromial impact during shoulder abduction.
Clinical treatment of supraspinatus syndrome
Upper cross syndrome is a series of clinical syndromes caused by abnormal upper body posture, which can be clinically diagnosed as cervical spondylosis, cervical vertigo, migraine and other diseases according to different symptoms and pathological manifestations. If we can treat not only the specific site of pain but also the antagonist and synergist muscles due to the abnormal posture of the upper body, many headaches can be cured.
Therefore, the treatment of any spinal disorder of the head, neck, shoulders and back that can be classified as upper cross syndrome should follow the general principle of relaxing or stretching the tense pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, latissimus dorsi, levator scapulae, superior trapezius, sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles, and strengthening the elongated rhomboid, serratus anterior, middle and lower trapezius, infraspinatus, teres minor and deep cervical flexors on the basis of symptomatic treatment.
Postural correction of upper crossed syndrome
Correct body posture not only changes a person’s shape and makes them feel more confident in themselves, but also reduces the chance of physical injury and improves the quality of life. Therefore, both healthy people and those with upper crossed syndrome should maintain proper body posture at all times (including when sitting still and exercising), i.e., with the jaw slightly tucked in, shoulders open, and chest up and abdomen in (Figure 3). It may be difficult for those who already have upper crossed syndrome to maintain this posture, and it is recommended to try to overcome it, so that the body can begin to learn and adapt to the new posture, which will gradually lead to new and healthier gains. Exercise training for superior cruciate syndrome
Proper exercise training not only strengthens weak muscles, but also relaxes tense and stiff muscles, ligaments and joints. To address the muscle imbalance in patients with upper crossed syndrome, stretching should be done for the tense muscles, strengthening the weak muscles, and stretching the excessively posteriorly curved thoracic spine.
1.Stretching training
A. Pectoral muscle stretching against a door frame or exercise frame to do unilateral stretching.
Patients stand next to the door frame, with forearms against the vertical part of the door frame, take the left and right legs to stand in front and back lunge, keep the back straight, shoulder joints and elbow joints at right angles, slowly move the body forward to stretch the chest muscles, each stretch for 10-15 seconds, repeat 2-3 times, and then carry out the opposite side stretch. Be careful not to over-extend the elbow joint when stretching.
B. Stretch the upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, scapularis and oblique angle muscles.
The patient sits with one hand under the ipsilateral hip and the head is flexed laterally to the opposite side to feel a slight stretch, while the other hand crosses over the top of the head to lightly touch the opposite ear, slowly pull the neck in the opposite direction and slightly sink the opposite shoulder to feel more stretch, each stretch for 10-15 seconds, repeat 2-3 times, and then perform the contralateral stretch. Note that the stretch must be completed by the patient himself, the action should be gentle, not violent to avoid damage to the cervical spine, and gently return the head to the middle position after the end.
C. Stretching the latissimus dorsi muscle
The patient bends backward with one hand over the head, and holds the former elbow from behind with the other hand, gradually stretching with force, leaning the body sideways, leaning forward and twisting to maximize stretching of the latissimus dorsi muscle. Stretch for 10-15 seconds each time, repeat 2-3 times, then perform contralateral stretch.
2.Intensive training
A. External rotator cuff muscle using rubber band training
Hold the rubber band with both hands, keep the upper arm close to the body, keep the elbow joint vertical, the wrist neutral, and open the arm outward respectively, and stretch the rubber band for external rotation of the shoulder joint.
B, rhomboids, rhomboids in the lower bundle using rubber bands for straight arm rowing training focus on the middle back muscles, keep the shoulder down, elbow joint straight, stretch the rubber band from front to back.
C, the front serratus using rubber band training two hands holding the rubber band, keep the forearm straight, from the back of the body around to the front, for the shoulder belt leading stretch rubber band.
D. Deep neck flexors using rubber band training
Both hands hold the rubber band, from the back of the head around, both hands pull forward, the head backward against the force. Note: hold the rubber band tightly to prevent detachment and bouncing injury to the eyes.
3.Thoracic spine extension training
A. Back stretching
Patient prone position, focus on the middle and upper back, both arms extended backward, try to tighten the outer thighs, sink the shoulders, tuck the abdomen, exhale when the upper back extension lift, inhale when back down to the original position.
B.Pilates ball thoracic spine stretch
Place the Pilates ball (small exercise ball) under the thoracic spine and relax your head. Open your arms backward from the sides of your body, bend your elbows to hold them, and restore them downward to the sides of your body. Sink your rib cage and sink your shoulders.