Computer & Smart Phone Posture Problems & Fixes Part 2: Rolling the Shoulders Back, Opening the Chest
In this post:
Posture Consciousness
What are the Pec Minor & Lower Traps & how do we need to care for them?
Exercises to Feel Better!
Video of guided exercises (it contains most of the info in this post if you want to go straight to the bottom of the page)
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There are many reasons why we might roll the shoulders forward and collapse the chest: stress, tension, emotional distress - but a major reason is due to the tools that we increasingly use in our day to day: computers & smart phones.
In Part 1 of this series, where I addressed forward head posture, I gave some tips on how to improve office & smart phone ergonomics - such as having the top 1/3 of the computer screen at eye level so we don’t need to hunch forward as much. Check out Part 1 for these tips, because they can be very helpful in reducing repetitive strain issues that can come from spending lots of time in front of a screen.
However, we need to also be conscious of our posture. Often we can become so involved in what we are typing, reading, etc, that it’s like our body is almost falling into the screen! As I type this, I can feel the back of my shoulders touching the back of my chair, and the tactile sense is very helpful. When I start to lean forward into my work, I lose contact with my back against the chair, and the feedback that my posture needs adjusting is immediate.
The main muscle pairing that I want to focus on with respect to rounded shoulders, collapsed chest are
the pectoralis minor & lower trapezius.
Not to worry, I am going to make all of this anatomy very understandable & fascinating :)
Short & Tight Pec Minor
Rounded shoulders/collapsed chest causes a shortening of the pectoralis major
- which is a big muscle on the surface of the chest wall -
but there is also a shortening of the pectoralis minor (hereafter called pec minor),
which is a much smaller muscle, behind the pec major.
Here it is:
And here is me shortening my pec minor at the computer (plus my head is forward & down):
When the pec minor is short, it causes the shoulders to raise, roll forward & contract inwards. With the anatomical photo of the pec minor, you can see that underneath it are nerves and blood vessels, and when the pec minor gets shortened from staying hunched at the computer or phone for a long time, the nerves & blood vessels get compressed, and over time this can lead to pain, weakness, numbness & tingling down the arms & hands - symptoms similar to thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS).
How do we fix this? By lengthening the pec minor. To lengthen, we need to do 3 actions: the shoulders need to lift, then go back, then go down. Because of the shape of the ribcage, how the shoulders sit on top of it, and how the pec minor attaches, it is not sufficient to just press the shoulders down, or back. We need to do all 3 actions: roll the shoulders up, then back, then down. This is why circling the shoulders feels so good.
When the pec minor is lengthened, the chest should feel simultanously wider & more lifted, and the shoulder blades should feel like they can more easily slide down the back. There is no need to force the chest open, nor to push it outward. The chest will naturally open as you do this action of the shoulders.
However, it is not enough to lengthen the pec minor - we must also strengthen the opposing muscle (called the antagonist muscle) - and this is the lower trapezius.
Connecting to the Lower Traps
Muscles work in pairs: one muscle (or group of muscles) performs a certain action, and another muscle (or group) performs the opposite action. If the primary muscle is short, its antagonist is inevitably long. It is more helpful to think of muscles as being too short or too long in terms of correcting posture, instead of focusing on which ones are strong or weak, or which ones feel sore and which ones don’t - because for long-term postural health AND for optimal movement in the joints, we have to first have a balance of the length in the muscles.
Balancing muscle length is actually often the vital first step in rebalancing strength & reducing pain.
So - we lengthen the pec minor, by rolling the shoulders up, back, & down, and this automatically shortens the lower trapezius (here after called the lower traps). The lower traps are the red muscle fibers in this picture: they pull the shoulder blades down and together. They do the exact opposite action of the pec minor.
Making this postural adjustment is a great first step, and will take you far, but I also recommend exercises to stretch the pec minor and shorten (& strengthen) the lower traps, to provide even faster & more enduring relief from soreness & tighness, as well as to improve posture permanently.
Exercises to Feel Better
The most important & possibly most difficult part of these exercises, is that they be done regularly ;)
Shoulder Circles
These can be done while sitting at your desk, as a mini-break . Inhale as the shoulders go forward & up, exhale as they roll back & down. Keep the head balanced on top, as though there is a string pulling out of the crown of the head, and keep the ribs, pelvis and the rest of the spine still. Repeat up to 10x. .
2. Stretching the Pecs Against the Wall
Start with the stretch in the top left hand corner, then top right AND/OR bottom left (with the arm bent), whichever feels best on the shoulder, and finally bottom right. These all stretch different fibers of the pectoral muscles.
To do these stretches correctly, if you have your right hand against the wall, stand sideways and have the right foot slightly forward, so the hips will more easily face directly sideways. Stand close to the wall - keeping in mind that the closer you are, the more intense the stretch is. If you feel any discomfort in or near the joint, that is too much stretch, so move away from the wall. Likewise if you feel a lot of tingling or sensation down the arm, it just means that the nerves are getting too much stretch, and so you need to move further away from the wall. If any of the positions feel too uncomfortable, skip them.
For all of these positions, feel the posture as tall as possible, like there is a string at the top of the head gently pulling up. The ribs should not protrude forward, and the abdominals should be gently drawing in. Feel the shoulder rolling back, and the shoulder blade sliding down the back. Hold each stretch for 5 breaths. Repeat to the other side.
3. Strengthening the Lower Traps
I am showing how you could do this sitting at the edge of your office chair, but it could equally be done in a squat, a lunge or kneeling as part of an exercise routine. I am also showing this holding small hand weights (2 lbs), but this could equally be done with no resistance, with soup cans as weights, or with resistance band - the feet standing on the middle of the band.
For all of the variations, have the body hinged slightly forward in a long diagonal at approximately 60 degrees, so the eyes are still able to look out. The spine is long, the head is in alignment with the spine, and the abdominals are drawn in, to support the spine.
I am holding each position for 5 breaths, working the endurance of the muscles, rather than their power. This allows the muscles to be trained to work more posturally.
The start position is with the arms forward, and the thumbs pointing up. This sets up the shoulders to be able to open for each of the variations.
First, open the arms in a low V - 45 degrees to the floor, and hold the position for 5 breaths. The shoulder blades are gently squeezing together & down.
Return to the start position, then open the arms out to the sides - at 90 degrees - with the thumbs pointing up. Again the shoulder blades are squeezing gently together & down, and the posture is maintained. 5 breaths.
Return to the start position, and repeat with the arms in a high V, possibly with elbows slightly bent to decrease neck tension. 5 breaths.
Skip any positions that feel uncomfortable.
There are many great variations on these exercises that you may have learned in your yoga, pilates, or fitness class. I hope that you do them regularly, so that you can reap the benefits of an open chest, & relaxed shoulders.
Enjoy this video, which explains almost everything described above, with even more exercises.
Wishing you well. Take good care.