Tsofit Arman
Touch therapy
If you look at people around you, probably you won't see many of them walking with their head up. We all walk with our eyes glued to a cell phone. The time we spend bent forward doubled in the last years due to the varied use we do with the computer and mobile phones.
Researches from around the world show an increase of about 30% in neck and upper back problems, especially in the last two years, and decrease in the age for appearance of kyphosis signs.
Kyphosis is a state in which the upper back or chest area bend forward. It is a spinal deformity/ postural defect that can manifest in sloped shoulders and weak muscles.
There are some types of kyphosis and different reasons for developing one: Congenital kyphosis, genetic, illness, osteoporosis, neurological problems. I would like to focus on kyphosis caused by malnutrition and postural kyphosis.
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Kyphosis caused by malnutrition
Exercises for spreading the cervical vertebrae and preventing scoliosis
This type of kyphosis became common in the last years due to increase in processed food consumption. The body doesn't receive or absorbs enough vitamin D and calcium thus the vertebrae begin to soften and collapse.
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Postural kyphosis
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This is the most common and less severe typy of kephosis. Normally the symptoms will be sloped shoulders and hunched forward head and back due to weak stabilizing muscles. In this case the body is out of alignment and the heads weight is puling everything forward.
Increased kyphosis might lead to breathing problems, digestive issues, heart and lung, since the rib cage can't expand and function as normal.
In cases of acquired kyphosis, especially in young age, there is a window of opportunity where it is possible to interfere and stop the process. It is necessary to expand the rib cage and chest and strengthen the rhomboids muscles in the back.
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What can you do
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First of all be aware of your posture and your nutrition. Check if you're getting enough calcium, sun exposure and complement any deficiencies if they exist.
We need to remember, if we sit many hours in front of the computer, and then bend over our cell phones, we must practice the counter position and open the rib cage.
From our habits perspective the most important thing is diaphragmatic breathing (instead of shallow thoracic breathing). The rib cage should move, when you inhale, upward and outward in a 3 D motion: meaning forward, sideways and backwards. This happens when the diaphragm is active and pushes up in inhale. The diaphragm is a muscle you can train by breathing exercise.
Some exercises for the upper back
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1. Stand with your back to the wall, feet a few cm apart, pelvis touching the wall. Let the shoulder blades touch the well, and also try to bring the back of the head. Take the chin lower by 45 degrees, and pull it back (creates double chin). To emphasize the position exaggerate the chin forward several times (shortens the neck), and back towards the wall (lengthens the neck). After several repetitions find the neutral state between the two, but keep the chin a little bit inward. Take 10 deep breathes in this position.
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2. Lift your hands straight from the front of the body to the ceiling, and reach without changing the position of the back of the neck or shorten it. Repeat this 10 times and notice you didn't "lose" the quality of the breath.
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3. Keep the neck elongated and the shoulder blades close to the wall. Take the hands in front of the body and imagine you're climbing a rope. Imagine you're puling yourself up and notice the sliding motion of the shoulder blades on the wall while you climb up one hand at a time.
Gentle exercise, myofascial therapy and working with the connective tissue with kinezio tape can help greatly to improve range of motion, decrease pain in the neck area and distributing the load.