Here in Back School you will find many resources that will help you get your back in shape and KEEP IT in shape! There will be articles you can read, videos you can watch, and much more. Keep checking back as new content will be added all the time.
Let’s Tackle one of the 2 most difficult postural dysfunctions human’s suffer from, UPPER CROSS SYNDROME. Described first by Vladimir Janda in the early 1980’s it is one of the most common upper back conditions known to the working person. So what is it? Well, it is a postural situation where the chest muscles shorten and become tight due to the rolling forward of the upper back. Simultaneously the posterior neck muscles (suboccipitals) as well as the upper back muscles (mainly Upper Trapezius and Levator Scapulae) also shorten and become tight, leading to the tell-tale slump with forward head carriage. At the same time, the deep neck flexors at the front of the neck and the mid back muscles (Rhomboids, Lower Trapezius, etc.) become weak and lengthened, acting less like muscles, and more like straps trying desperately to keep your upper body from slumping further forward. This posture is VERY common in computer users! Follow the below stretches / exercises to help unwind this problem. Be patient, it takes time. Work hard at it, and pay attention to your posture while at work on the computer, and you can slow its progress and even reverse it.
Crossed Pelvic Syndrome (also known as Lower Cross Syndrome) is another Janda syndrome that occurs in the lower torso. It is basically due to the fact that tightness of the low back extensors muscles in the low back cross with tightness of the Hip Flexors in the front. Weakness of the deep abdominal muscles crosses with weakness of the Gluteal Muscles. This pattern of imbalance creates joint dysfunction, particularly at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 segments, SI joint, and hip joint. Most problematically, this leads to anterior pelvic tilt, increased lumbar lordosis, lateral lumbar shift, lateral leg rotation, and knee hyperextension. You can easily pick out people with anterior pelvic tilt, as the front of their hips look angled (not straight as it should be), and their low back has an increase in it’s normal curve. Look at yourself from the side in a mirror for a quick check to see if this is you. If it is, follow the exercises below to unwind your pelvis.
