Shoulder hike during exercise?

Summary

The article addresses the common issue of shoulder hiking during exercise, discussing its causes, such as poor posture, muscle imbalances, and structural issues, and providing solutions for correction through targeted stretching and strengthening exercises.

Abstract

The article, aimed at personal trainers and fitness enthusiasts, delves into the problem of shoulder hiking during exercise, a compensation pattern resulting from neuromuscular imbalances. It explains how poor posture, repetitive movements, and physical considerations like prior injuries can lead to overuse of certain muscles and underuse of others, causing joint misalignment and potential injury. Conditions like upper cross syndrome and forward head posture are highlighted as contributors to shoulder pain and instability. The author suggests that correcting these issues involves stretching muscles such as the pectorals, upper trapezius, and lats, while strengthening the rhomboids, mid and lower trapezius, serratus anterior, and cervical flexors. A mini program with specific exercises is proposed to help restore proper muscle activation and movement patterns. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of addressing these common gym afflictions with targeted rehabilitation work to prevent further complications.

Opinions

The author emphasizes the importance of identifying and correcting faulty movement patterns early to prevent injury.
It is suggested that no one is perfectly balanced or symmetrical, and thus, extra attention must be given to proper form during exercise.
The article posits that the brain will compensate for neuromuscular imbalances by altering muscle fiber recruitment, which can lead to exercise compensation patterns.
Upper cross syndrome and forward head posture are presented as significant contributors to shoulder hiking and should be addressed through specific corrective exercises.
The author advocates for a proactive approach to posture and exercise, suggesting that increased screen time and stress are detrimental to proper movement and should be managed accordingly.
It is the author's view that while the provided mini program can help, more severe dysfunctions should be addressed by a competent fitness consultant.

The cause and cure

As a personal trainer, I have often witnessed firsthand the negative effects of poor posture and muscular strength imbalances on human movement. These factors inevitably lead to exercise compensation patterns the client is unaware of and ultimately, possible injury. Since no one is perfectly balanced or symmetrical, extra attention must be given to proper form during exercise and faulty movement patterns must be identified early and corrected. This article will offer a rudimentary treatment of a common compensation pattern: shoulder hiking during exercise.

Exercise compensation pattern

An exercise compensation pattern will occur when neuromuscular imbalance exists. The main reasons for this are:

Poor posture resulting in a misalignment of joints

Repetitive movement resulting in an overuse of certain muscles and an underuse of others.

Physical (structural) considerations including prior injuries

In response to the above conditions, the brain will reorganize muscle fibre recruitment so that movement may continue.

What are upper cross syndrome and forward head posture?

Upper cross syndrome refers to the condition whereby the muscles of the chest and upper shoulders are overactive and the mid-to-lower trapezius, rhomboid muscles and cervical spine flexors are under-active. You may have upper cross syndrome if you have rounded shoulders, shoulder pain and/or forward head posture.

Forward head posture refers to the condition whereby the head is out of alignment. An individual whose head protrudes an inch out of alignment essentially is holding and moving a 24lb head due to the mechanical disadvantage of this posture. Not surprisingly, this can lead to muscle tension and is often accompanied by rounded shoulders or excessive thoracic (mid-spine) kyphosis (curvature).

Simply put, the conditions mentioned above may cause shoulders to hike up during exercise in an attempt to stabilize the scapulae, shoulders and arms due to the under activity of certain support muscles.

How to correct: What to stretch and what to strengthen

If we follow the description of the aforementioned conditions, it would appear we need to stretch potentially overactive muscles such as the pectorals (major and minor), upper trapezius, and, in all likelihood, the lats (latissimus dorsi).

Concurrently, the following muscles need to be strengthened: rhomboids (upper back), mid and lower trapezius (mid-back), serratus anterior (underneath muscle), and the cervical flexors (anterior neck muscles).

The wrap up

Much has been written about the effects of increased screen time and stress on posture and consequently, exercise. Shoulder hiking is a common gym affliction. If you notice it creeping into your exercises, you may need to incorporate a little targeted rehab work to restore proper movement.

This article is by no means an exhaustive analysis of this particular exercise compensation pattern but is meant to raise awareness and provide possible quick solutions. More severe dysfunction should be addressed by a competent fitness consultant.

Fitfully yours.