The Posture of a New Generation: Upper Crossed Syndrome

In clinical practice there are conditions that walk into the clinic with the same presentation.  I mostly hear things like “Doc, the pain is right here (top of the shoulder blade), and it travels up to the base of my head.” So what do these people have in common? Typically I find that they’re spending most of their time slouched in front of a computer.  Due to recent changes in the technological landscape and our need to constantly be connected, a large portion of the population is beginning to develop this condition that a Czech neurologist Dr. Vladimir Janda described as the Upper Crossed Syndrome.  UCS is a postural adaptation that is primarily caused by poor posture and being stuck in a flexed state for hours at a time. Typical presentation is characterized by tight sub occipitals (muscles at the base of your skull), upper traps, levator scapula (upper back muscles), and pectorals, cobined with weak neck flexors & scapular stabilizers.

 

Typically people come in with these symptoms: neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, abnormally poor posture, and decreased flexibility.  Fixing the problem is a task that I have been working on, and it usually involves a strict strengthening /stretching regime, spinal mobilization, as well as myofascial release techniques to help restore the body’s proper function.

Things to consider if you are working at a workstation for hours a day:

1. Make sure that your monitor is at eye level and within an arm’s length from where you are sitting. With a low monitor, you are constantly looking down, and with a 10lb bowling ball of a head, this puts a lot of strain on the traps.
2. Use a keyboard tray. This will prevent the over-utilization of the pectorals and help reduce stress upon the back muscles.
3. Take a break for sanity sake; our bodies are not designed to sit in front of our screens for more than an hour at a time. Stretch, move, go for a walk!

If you experience the symptoms of UCS, book an appointment to see your chiropractor. There are a number of musculoskeletal treatments we can administer that will alleviate the pain symptoms and work towards correcting the postural shifts.