Stretches and exercises for better posture and less shoulder pain.

[waverly]

I wrote up this list of stretches I do to help my upper back, shoulders and neck to help out a fellow Redditor. I used to live in near constant pain until I discovered these. She suggested I post them more widely, so that's what I'm doing! I hope they are helpful for someone!

p.s. if anyone knows the name for these stretches, please let me know. I discovered them online many years ago, and haven't been able to find them again.

The first 3 require a yoga strap (or just any long, slightly stretchy thing. I often use a knee sock or a scarf). I do all the exercises in order usually, but will occasionally do some alone if I'm in a hurry and just need a little pain relief. You should do all these exercises standing up in a comfortable position (though some can be done sitting down, if needed). Be aware of your back posture. I've included stick-figure drawings for most of these to give you a better idea of what to do.

1. Hold the strap with both hands out in front of you, about shoulder width apart, or a little wider. Pull gently on the strap, you should feel a nice little stretch in your upper shoulder/lower neck area. Keeping the strap taught, bring your arms over you head and then back. Kind of like you're turning your arms inside out. Basically you're doing a shoulder rotation, but the strap is keeping your arms in place and making it harder. This will probably be really hard to begin with, so just go as far as you can. You should feel a really good stretch in your shoulders. As you get better at this exercise you'll be able to hold the strap closer together, but just starting out you may need to hold the strap even wider than shoulder length.

   https://imgur.com/UgUjK

2. Assume the same stance as before, with the strap out in front of you, a little wider than shoulder width. Keep the strap taught and bring your arms up straight. This time, instead of bringing both arms backwards, bring only one arm down, making an "L" shape with your arms. Hold for a few seconds and feel the stretch. Repeat with the other arm.

   https://imgur.com/RMHpV

3. Hold the strap out in front of you again, this time a little closer together. Bring you arms up above your head. Hold it there for a second. Then slowly bend your elbows, squeeze your shoulder blades together and bring the strap straight down, so it's at about shoulder blade level. Hold it there for a while while pulling tightly. Your upper back muscles should be getting a good workout. Then slowly straighten your arms to bring them back up over your head, keeping the strap taught. This will be pretty shaky at first, but you'll get better at it.

   https://imgur.com/ONtxf

4. The rest of these exercises do not require a strap. Clasp your hands behind your back and hold your arms straight. Try to bring your arms up as high as the can go without leaning forward. Next, Bring your elbows together and hold your clasped hands to the side near one hip. Hold this for a while. Return to the middle and then do the other side. Your shoulders should be back and your elbows held tightly together.

   https://imgur.com/GlEIn

5. This is a stretch you've probably done before. Bend one arm and bring it behind your head so your elbow is pointing straight up. Clasp that elbow with your other hand and pull slightly.Try to slide your hanging forearm as far down your spine as you can. Hold for a while and then switch arms.

   https://imgur.com/zblQ3

6. This one is kind of hard to explain (and draw!). Hold your arms in front of you, bent at the elbow so your forearms are pointing straight up. Stack one elbow on top of the other. Move the forearms attached to the top elbow forward and slightly behind (from your perspective) your other forearm. Now, rotate both palms so they are facing each other and press together. Twist your arms tighter together as much as you can. This is a great upper shoulder stretch. It should look like this. Untwist arms and then repeat with the opposite elbow on top. Many people don't have the flexibility to do this at first. No worries, just do as much as you can while still feeling the stretch.
7. This one should always follow the previous stretch. Bring your arms behind your back with elbows bent and press your palms together (like and upside-down praying pose), facing downward (will probably be around the small of your back). Now, while keeping your palms pressed flat together rotate your hands toward your back and then up, so your palms are in a right-side up praying position. Next, try to slide your palms as far up your spine as possible, while pushing your shoulders and elbows back. Hold this. http://i.imgur.com/jECbP.jpg

And that's it. I used to do these at least twice a day, every day. Now I just do them when I really need it (which is much less often than it used to be). I went from near constant horrible pain (and bad posture), to pretty much being pain-free unless I carry something heavy on my back or am hunched over the lab bench for several hours. It's also really improved my posture and added some muscle strength in my arms and shoulder. I hope they work for you too!

 

[hypnos97]

@waverly I'd just like to add that being conscious of your posture during the day is also very important. Stand against a wall with your heels, butt, shoulders and head in contact with the wall and making sure that your chin is not lifted. That will give you a feel for what proper posture is like.

Try and make sure that computer monitors are above eye level and that you aren't slouching when sitting around. When you're out, try and keep your shoulders and head in a position that feels like it did while you were against the wall. If that's too tiring, try it for a while and just minimize your slouching.

Fixing your posture is so worth it and it will feel AMAZING.

 

[waverly]

@hypnos97 Yes to all of this. Though for me, I had so many problems that it was difficult to even stand up straight even against a wall. My doctor told me I had muscle damage and told me to just deal with it. It wasn't until I started these exercises that I was able to even begin to work on my posture.

 

[fmontanay2]

@waverly 1 is called a Shoulder dislocation or pull-through.

 

[matthewmatthew]

@waverly One I like is hold your arm in an L (bicep parallel to floor, hand up toward the sky). Go to a doorframe. Put the L against the wall, and step forward gently into the door. It'll open up your chest. You'll have to turn around to do the other side.