Joe Catton, registered Osteopath and member of the Barnet Osteopathy Team. Joe takes you through a simple yet highly effective exercise which can help reduce upper back pain and help with mobility.
With the amount of time we all spend looking at our phones and hunched over desks and computers each day these daily activities can lead to poor postural adaptations. These sustained positions can contribute to a kyphotic posture with a hunched back, rounded shoulders and a forward head position. This can cause the muscles on the front of your chest to shorten and become tight while the muscles at the back and between your shoulder blades become lengthened and weak.
Sounds familiar? Find out how you can improve your posture and/ or prevent postural issues with advice from our expert therapists.
A great exercise I’d like to share with you is the wall angel or wall slide. It is a simple exercise but depending where you are on your mobility journey can be quite challenging.
All you need is a wall or alternatively you can also do this lying down on the floor with your knees bent. This exercise can help:
- Mobilise the shoulder girdle
- Decrease a forward head position
- Open up the chest and reduce rounded shoulders by stretching the muscles on the front of the body
- Activate and strengthen the rhomboids, and lower and middle traps at the back
- Reduce tension in the upper traps
To perform the exercise:
- Stand with your back against the wall, place your feet 6 – 12 inches away from the wall with your knees slightly bent.
- Lean your mid back against the wall and flatten your lower back against the wall with a posterior pelvic tilt.
- Tuck your chin slightly which will help lengthen the neck and with the chin tucked place the back of your head against the wall.
- Bring your shoulders down away from your ears.
- Bring the arms up at 90 degrees, and place your elbows against the wall and then the backs of your hands.
- Slowly straighten your arms above your head to form a Y position. As you do this ensure you maintain contact with the wall with your whole back, head, elbows and hands while keeping the shoulder blades down during the movement.
- Keep the repetitions slow and controlled.
This is a simple but effective exercise which you can do daily. Try 3 sets of 10 which you can space throughout the day to help keep you moving and mobile.
Modifications
If you are very tight in the shoulders and can’t keep them against the wall you can begin the exercise with the elbows and arms slightly forward off the wall. As you progress you can work towards getting the shoulders back and then the elbows and then the hands against the wall.
To make the exercise more challenging, work on narrowing the Y shape and also bring your heels closer to the wall while maintaining contact with everything against the wall.
Give it a go and see what you think. If you want any further guidance, modifications or assistance then please get in touch by contacting us via phone (020 8368 9220) or booking in online
