How to correct forward (rounded) shoulders

People are often told that they have poor posture because they have rounded shoulders. They are often told to pull their shoulders back. I know people from my generation were often told to "stand up straight" or "pull your shoulders back".

Rounded shoulders is often the result of a muscle imbalance between the muscles of the anterior (front) and posterior (back) of the chest and neck. Some muscles are tight while others are inhibited or not able to work effectively. The muscles that are tight are the pectoral (moves the arm), upper trapezius (moves the neck and shoulder blade) and levator scapula (moves the neck and shoulder blade) muscles.

The inhibited muscles are the neck flexors (they move the head forward and down), rhomboids (moves the shoulder blade) and serratus anterior (stabilises the shoulder blade)

The signs and symptoms of upper crossed syndrome are rounded shoulders, forward head posture, decreased stability of the shoulder and increased neck or upper back pain.

Can this muscle imbalance simply be corrected by pulling your shoulders back? No. it requires stretching of the tight muscles and strengthening of the inhibited ones, including stablising your shoulder blade (scapula).

When stretching a muscle you should never have pain. If you are experiencing any pain whilst stretching or exercising you should stop that activity and see a health professional. All of the stretches below can be done twice per day usually morning and evening. More than this does not provide any additional benefit.

Before doing any exercises you should check with your health professional to see if you are able to do them. You should not have any pain whilst exercising, if you do stop the exercise and see your health professional.

Upper trapezius stretch

To stretch the upper trapezius muscle place your left hand on top of your head and gently pull your head away from your right shoulder until you feel it stretch. Hold that position for 30 seconds. Swap sides and repeat 2 times. To increase the stretch you can turn your head slightly towards your right shoulder.

Levator scapula stretch

To stretch the levator scapula muscle place your left hand on top of your head and gently pull your head toward your left hip until you feel it stretch. Hold that position for 30 seconds. Swap sides and repeat 2 times.

Pectoralis muscle stretch

To stretch the pectoralis muscle place your left hand on a wall or door frame. Turn your body and head to the right until you feel it stretch. Hold that position for 30 seconds. Swap sides and repeat 2 times. I find that if you place your hand so that it is higher than your shoulder it is a better stretch. Try it at different angles to see what works best for you.

Deep neck flexor exercise

To strengthen your deep neck flexor muscles stand with your back against a wall, tuck your chin in and down slightly and push your head back into the wall (without using your hands) for 30 seconds. Relax and then repeat 3 or 4 times.

To stabilise the scapula by strengthening the rhomboids and middle and lower trapezius muscles involves 2 steps. It is important to do the steps correctly and in order for this exercise to work. Step 1 you pull your shoulder blades down towards the ground. This is a little tricky to get the hang of but persevere. Step 2 you gently squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Relax and repeat 3 or 4 times. It is important to note that you do not pull your arms back. Just move the shoulder blade.

To strengthen the serratus anterior see the video below. It is important to keep your whole back flat against the wall. Your heels do not have to be against the wall for this exercise to work. Start with the exercise that is shown first. If you can do this without your shoulders lifting up then progress to the wall angel exercise.