Shoulders Down and Back!!

How many times have you heard your class instructor, Chiropractor, Personal Trainer, tell you to keep your shoulders down and back or pack your shoulders? Do we really know why it is so important to keep the shoulders packed and what it means?

Packing the shoulders refers to scapular retraction (shoulder blades back) and depression (shoulder blades down). The ability to "suck the shoulder into its sockets" is very important for preventing injuries, poor posture and performance.

The following are two videos which use an imaging technique called fluoroscopy to show a patient doing an overhead press without and with the shoulders being down and back. Fluoroscopy is commonly used by physicians to obtain real-time moving images of the internal structures of a patient through the use of a fluoroscope. In the videos you can see a comparison in real-time of the clavicle (collar bone), humerus (the bone in your arm that connects to the shoulder blade) and scapula (shoulder blade) move in different ways. With the packed shoulder, the bones glide right through the range of motion. Without it, they visibly jam into each other.

Here is an overhead press with OUT the shoulders being back and down:

Here is an overhead press WITH the shoulders being back and down:

If you want to learn more or require any more information about this article please do not hesitate to contact us here at energyXchange / Physiomed Leslieville•Riverside at 416•727•9884

Information Provided By Dr. Roopa Patel, BSC (Hons) DC, Acupuncture.