Day 20 PROS Posture Month – Effortless Chest Stretch
Effortless Chest Stretch
Using the Posture Pole or rolled up towel.
Do you find yourself sitting during your day? Even with a sedentary job, many people find that the sitting doesn’t stop there, as there may be travelling time, down time where electronic devices are used for prolonged periods of time. In our chiropractic office, we see many people who complain of not only upper back pain, but pain at the front of the chest. This is due to the rounding of shoulders as people seem to be more and more in a hunched posture.
Most common situations that can result in a hunched posture:
- working at home for long hours
- not taking adequate breaks while working in the office
- driving for hours or travelling on public transport
- spending hours on phones
- over use of iPad/ laptop
- nursing babies and looking after small children
- home schooling
- knitting/other crafts for extended periods of time
This hunching posture can also be accompanied by tension across shoulders, as well as the front of the chest. We all agree it is probably impossible to avoid sitting completely in our day, but how can we help this situations where we sit, hunched for periods of time?. Firstly, our awareness around our posture during daily activities needs to increase, and then we can improve our posture. This effortless chest stretch will help.
One way to unwind the sitting posture is to stretch the front of the chest and shoulders.
This is what you need:
- Posture Pole or
- Two rolled up towels
This is the position to lay in:
- Head and tail on pole/towel
- Knees bent with feet flat on floor
- Arms out 45 degrees from your side
- Palms facing up
How long do you lay in this position?
Start with 5 minutes and gradually build up to 15 minutes a day. Please avoid devices during this time and focus on your breath and we recommend to use a rolled up towel and not a hard foam roller. If there is any pain in your chest or shoulders, please stop and see your practitioner.
What will this help you with;
- Tension in the front of your shoulders and chest
- Bringing your head over your shoulders
- Relax and unwind (preferably done when small children and animals are less likely to jump all over you)
To find out more about what ideal posture is CLICK HERE. Forward head posture can cause neck pain – CLICK HERE to get more information.
Let us know how you go.
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