Yes, Your Posture Affects Your Shoulder Health

Posture is the way you hold your body in a balanced position, whether sitting or standing. However, everyone has their own natural neutral orientation — the point at which posture is at its most efficient and stable. 

Certain posture imbalances affect parts of your body away from the spine. The shoulders can develop pain when posture imbalances result in compression of joint components. 

When you have unexplained shoulder pain, visit the leading shoulder and elbow specialist, Michael J. Bercik Jr., MD. Dr. Bercik can find and treat the problems affecting your shoulder health. 

What is balanced posture? 

Posture is a concept more than a single position. Your posture is static when you’re not moving and dynamic when moving. 

Balanced posture varies from person to person. There’s no “right” or “wrong.” Essentially, a balanced posture is slightly different for everyone. 

The relationship between posture and shoulder health

When you think about upright postures, either sitting or standing, you likely raise your torso and push your shoulders back. Unfortunately, plenty about modern life encourages postures with the head forward and down and the shoulders rolled forward and in. 

For example, texting on a smartphone. Furthermore, using computers, tablets, and other devices can cause similar unbalanced postures. 

This shoulder rolling can create issues when it’s held for long periods. It can press parts of the shoulder joint together, sometimes causing a problem called shoulder impingement when the rotator cuff is engaged. 

The rotator cuff is a collection of ligaments, muscles, and tendons that form a structure that stabilizes the shoulder joint. The rotator cuff depends on larger muscles of the shoulder and back to support strength. 

Posture affects several aspects of shoulder movement, including: 

• Muscle efficiency during shoulder movement
• Shoulder blade position, which contains the socket of the shoulder joint
• The space available for shoulder movement
• Coordination of shoulder muscles
• Arm position during lifting motions

A simple test demonstrates how posture affects shoulder performance. Slouch forward and raise an arm over your head. Chances are, you’ll feel resistance and tightness. 

Now, reset your posture with your chin up and shoulders back and repeat the raised arm motion. Feel how much easier and free of resistance the movement is?  

Physical effects of posture imbalance

When shoulder imbalances are frequent, tissue compression within the shoulder joint can cause inflammation and irritation. Shoulder impingement is sometimes called rotator cuff tendinitis, causing symptoms like: 

• Pain and tenderness when raising your arm or reaching backward
• Nighttime shoulder pain
• Sensations of the shoulder joint locking or grating during movement
• Overall reduced range of shoulder motion
• Arm weakness

There are plenty of treatment approaches for rotator cuff problems, and early treatment usually results in better healing outcomes. 

Make an appointment with any of Dr. Bercik’s three offices in Pennsylvania by calling 717-560-4200, or you can book online using the link on this page. Schedule your visit today.