ChiropractorchiropractorchiropractorchiropractorchiropcThe most common cause of stiff neck and/or neck and shoulder pain is poor posture. Few others that contribute to this type of pain are: poor sleeping habits, cold drafts, stress etc.
You can treat stiff neck, upper back ache and even headaches and migraine by being well aware of your posture. The overload in muscle tension just to hold your head up in the way, can eventually lead to chronic headaches and migraine.
Shoulder Muscles
Trapezius, the latissimus dorsi and the pectoralis are the 3 main muscles of our shoulder. Their sole purpose is to move the arm.
While the pecs and the lats are the primarily movers of our arm, the rhomboids at the back are the ones that provide stability to the shoulder joint. As the pecs and lats work to rotate the arm inward the rhomboids in the upper back become weak. This can cause shoulder joint to go too far forward, out of its neutral alignment. This can be avoided by strengthening the upper back, using the rhomboids. You can do this following exercises for shoulder alignment to feel the rhomboid muscles putting your shoulders back into their correct place.
1. Shoulder Alignment Exercise
Stand up with the arms hanging loosely by your sides
Rotate the wrists outward as far as you can
Release the rotation in the lower arm by turning your palms in towards your thighs from the elbow BUT…
Keep the shoulders and upper arm in the same position as in position 2