How is Postural Pain happen?

Postural Pain of Neck & Upper-back commonly known as Upper Cross Syndrome. As a result of the upper cross syndrome, the posterior muscles in the back become weak and stretch, and the muscles in the front that oppose them become tight and short.

the upper cross syndrome is usually found in the people who sit all day long whether for a worker in school, throughout fatigued and throughout the day the head becomes forward and the shoulders roll forward and this gives the common symptoms that we see of sharp burning pain in the shoulder here maybe some posterior back pain and a decreased range of throughout the neck and the overall stiffness throughout the upper body.

The upper cross syndrome can cause premature arthritis and tissue breakdown. And also affects the connective tissue called fascia. Fascia runs throughout your whole body and thickens in response to repetitive motions that we do every day. As it becomes too thick through the posterior muscles and it starts to become very sensitive to stretch causing a burning pain as it becomes thickened through the front part of the neck it decreases the range of motion throughout the whole anterior shoulder. Fascia doesn’t receive a lot of blood supply and is really stubborn to change but what it does do is respond to repetitive motion. So as you sit at a desk all day and slouch fascia response to that and mold you into place becoming very sensitive to stretch in the back and thickening through the front to decrease your range of motion

Physiotherapy Management of Postural Pain of the neck and upper back:

The best exercise for a desk job worker is- Chin tucks, Scapula squeezing, and shoulder depression exercises.

Chin tuck exercise with there band holding behind the head. And performing exercises against the resistance.

Other physiotherapy management  are:

  • Chiropractic adjustment
  • Foam roller exercises- thoracic spine extension/rotation
  • Side-lying external rotation
  • Side-lying forward flexion
  • Standing diagonal flexion
  • Military press
  • Soft-tissue mobilization techniques
  • Neural tension techniques
  • Joint mobility techniques
  • Stretching Exercises for–
    • upper trapezius,
    • levator scapulae,
    • sternocleidomastoid muscle,
    • pectoralis major & minor.
  • Strengthening exercises- such as:
    • chin tucks,
    • floor cobra exercise,
    • barrel hug with loop band,
    • rows,
    • reverse plank,
    • alternating superman exercise,
    • Brugger posture,
    • Scapular retraction exercises with the dumbbell.
  • Serratus anterior strengthening- wall slide with the foam roller, wall pushups with scapular retraction,
  • Resistance tube exercise-
    • scapular retraction exercise,
    • half-kneeling lats pull down,
    • seated tube row,
    • shoulder external rotation
  • Electrical modalities used are-
    • Targeted radiofrequency therapy
    • Inter ferential therapy
    • Super inductive system for spine mobilization
  • Other manual techniques
  • Dynamic cupping therapy
  • Dry needling etc.