Neuromuscular Therapy 101: What is upper cross syndrome?

Upper Cross Syndrome (UCS), also called Upper Crossed Syndrome, is a collection of symptoms that express themselves as a postural pattern which might lead to pain, tension, and even permanent injury. But the use of the term “syndrome” may make people believe that little can be done to resolve it. This is not true.

Review of online literature

In their monograph Upper Cross Syndrome, Life Chiropractic College West describes the general symptomology as it expresses in the upper torso:

Upper Cross Syndrome describes a compromise in the musculoskeletal system which tightens or facilitates the anterior compartment of the “upper” torso while at the same time weakening the posterior.

However, the manner in which they describe UCS (e.g. “a compromise…which tightens or facilitates”) implies that this conditionhappens to people, which is not the whole truth.

For the most part, Life Chiropractic has a table which identifies the muscles involved.

(Note: Wikipedia is a good reference for anatomy pictures, if you want to see each muscle describe above.)

Life Chiropractic also describes one repetitive stress issue which may contribute to UCS:

Being that it is predominantly a postural issue, it is seen in individuals who work at a desk or are constantly leaning forward. Through postural adaptation, your body adopts the classical hunching of the upper thoracic spine, internal rotation of the shoulders, and anterior head carriage.

Unfortunately, they don’t discuss this process of “postural adaptation.” This is a vital omission that can make the difference between understanding how to empower yourself to heal. Quite simply, your body doesn’t adapt by happenstance. You adapt your body. You are in control. (More on this important difference later.)

This is why using the term “syndrome” can be seriously misleading. Oxford English Dictionary defines “syndrome” as:

A group of symptoms or pathological signs which consistently occur together, esp. with an (originally) unknown cause; a condition characterized by such a set of associated symptoms.

Unfortunately, the “unknown cause” part of the definition gets overused. By allowing a potential client to believe that UCS is due to an “unknown cause” (i.e. beyond your control) and thereby implying that the professional has some knowledge unattainable by mere mortals, health care practitioners can promote dependency and extended treatment plans (i.e. more income per customer).

This is not to say that a good practitioner isn’t an excellent resource, but they serve as a guide rather than a magician.

Bangor University placed an UCS video on Youtube. The first four minutes contain a good anatomy lesson, including a diagram showing the general postural pattern associated with UCS. It also contains a good example of passive range of motion testing, where the practitioner slowly moves a limb through its range of movement. This highlights zones where the joint “sticks,” which can indicate muscle tension restricting the joint from complete function.

Reece Haettich’s article, Rotator Cuff Stability and “Upper Cross Syndrome”, makes some excellent points on how posture affects shoulder function. Most importantly, he explains what you can do to improve your posture. While his target audience is triathletes, his core principles are valid for everybody:

· Have a reasonable idea of your body’s anatomy and how it moves. (It’s your body; read the owner’s manual.)

· Proper exercise helps build stability and balance in your structure.

Exercise is like putting money in savings; not exercising is like constantly withdrawing from your account. When traumatic injuries occur, or when repetitive stresses begin to wear at you, the interest you earned on your investment (exercise) can help you out. If your account is already drawn down, you may desperately seek to borrow against the future. This desperation often manifests in expensive treatments which may have been reduced or avoided by a regular exercise program. In other words, we pay now by exercising, or we pay later, with interest.

In the final analysis, you are in the best position to care for yourself. Other people may be sympathetic, but you are the one suffering. Others may be able to help, but what you do for yourself, or to yourself, on a daily basis will prove to be the overriding factor, for better or worse.

Next: Additional symptoms and analysis of Upper Cross Syndrome

Internet articles are never a substitute for appropriate medical advice.

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Howard Nemerov is the developer of the Nemerov Method of neuromuscular therapy.

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