When depression is a good thing: The right position for your shoulders

By Kim McNeil B.Sc. CYI • April 28th, 2011 • 10397 Views

One of the few times depression is a good thing is when we're talking about the shoulder blades. Unfortunately, most people aren't in the habit of having depressed shoulders.  In fact, it's quite the opposite. Our tendacy is to slouch and lift the shoulder to the ears throughout the day.  These bad habits can be especially prevalent during times of stress and often lead to tension and pain in the neck and upper back.

The Long-Term Affects

In severe cases, prolonged incorrect positioning of the shoulders and shoulder blades (scapula) can put us at risk for a shoulder injury.  For example, an injury to one of the muscles making up the rotator cuff (external rotators) is a painful and difficult problem to rehabilitate.

Even if you have good habits, you could be at risk for shoulder problems.  If you participate in sports that require you to stretch the arms overhead, rotate the shoulders, or bend forward, such as swimming, biking, kayaking, and tennis, you are more likely to experience injuries to the shoulder. This can be especially true for the muscles that connect to and support the shoulder blades.

 How to re-train your shoulders 

To counteract lifted shoulders and relieve pain and tension in the neck and upper back, try these stretches:

1. Shoulder rolls - roll the shoulders up, back, and down emphasizing depressing the shoulders. Repeat 10x.

2. Wall stretch

• Stand next to a wall

• Take a strap, tie, or other and loop it around the head of your left shoulder

• Hold the strap behind the back with the right hand being careful to keep the right shoulder depressed and externally rotated (rolled back and down)

• Take the left hand to the wall keeping your left arm fairly straight

• Pull straight down on the strap with the right arm to help the left shoulder depress and externally rotate

• Slowly turn away from the wall without taking your left hand away

• Enjoy the stretch through the front...
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  Tags : Posture, yoga anatomy, health, kim mcneil, shoulder depression, shoulder injury, fitness tips, yoga exercises, depression, when depression is a good thing, depression a good thing, depressed, depression in the shoulders, shoulder position, right position for shoulders

Location:  Calgary, CA

I'm a freckled, Montreal-born gal who discovered yoga after her competitive swimming career came to an end.   After retiring from the sport, I tried kickboxing, karate, and knitting but nothing seemed to fill the gap left...