
IMPORTANT SIDENOTE: If you have been in a UCS position for a long time, there is little chance that this anatomical/biomechanical abnormality will completely disappear. You will still see an anatomical "bump" in that case, but this does not mean that your mobility has not improved. In fact, it is difficult to correct anatomical abnormalities in someone who is fully grown, especially if that person has been in a certain position for years. However, increasing mobility is necessary to try to prevent further aggravation of the anatomical abnormality, which of course is also not always successful. But regular exercise does give you a good chance of preventing further deterioration.
Guidelines, safety warning and general terms and conditions.
1. Guidelines and safety warning:
This is a course for people who want to learn how to self-treat their upper crossed syndrome by doing physical therapy exercises. The name of the teacher is Mathias Van Den Broeck, he achieved his master’s degree in physical therapy at the Belgian University of Leuven and afterwards he also achieved a master’s degree in osteopathy at Buckinghamshire New University. As a physical therapist he has worked with many patients suffering from an upper crossed syndrome; exercise therapy is the key to long-term success.
The course is build up in a 6-step protocol going from easy to difficult exercises. The steps consist of stretching and mobility exercises. As the steps progress, the exercises will increase the difficulty in mobility and strength training will be added. You can choose your own pace in the rehabilitation protocol. You start with step 1 and then progress to the next step, only if you feel that the current step became too easy for you. So only if you don’t get any muscle soreness, articular pain or any other type of discomfort doing the exercises from that step, you can progress to the next step. Some people might get from step 1 to step 6 in 6 weeks, others will progress a little slower and might, for example, take half a year to progress to step 6. For most people the upper crossed syndrome should already be gone when step 5 is completed, they might prefer to stop in an earlier step. This is possible of course, but the actual target is to fulfill step 6 with ease. If step 1 gives any discomfort already from the beginning on, it is advised to first consult a doctor, osteopath, manual therapist or chiropractor before going on with the next exercises, so that any articular problems are already solved before training on them.
To prevent accidents during the exercises, it is advised to ask someone to stay close to you while doing (difficult) exercises for the first time. There is no guarantee that accidents will not happen because the teacher doesn’t has any control on how you are performing at home and is also not up to date about your specific medical history. You also have to be careful not to go too fast. Only if the exercises go without any difficulty, you can progress to the next step. As the teacher, Mathias Van Den Broeck, can’t see if you are doing a good job performing these exercises, it is advised to work with a mirror or let someone check your performance while doing them.
The teacher, Mathias Van Den Broeck, recommends you, the student, to do the exercises in the safest conditions. The exercises are, in general, built in such a way that they become progressively harder and heavier. It is the intention that after each step you only move on to the next step if you do not experience muscle stiffness, joint pain or any other kind of discomfort. If you move on to the next step too quickly, you will develop a risk of an overuse injury. If you have any neurological, structural, anatomical or pathological problems, it is also recommended that you consult a physician before beginning this series of exercises and let him/her evaluate whether you should begin them.
2. General terms and conditions:
Given that it is impossible for the teacher to be aware of your physical background, Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company cannot be held responsible should any injuries or other inconveniences occur. It is advisable to consult a medical specialist beforehand and ask him/her whether your physical condition allows you to carry out this course in a safe manner.
The exercises in this course are designed for the majority of upper crossed syndrome patients and are therefore not individually tailored. This means that a small percentage of patients may only have little improvement in their pain/mobility, although they will likely gain a health benefit anyway. Therefore, no refund can be made if you have not achieved the desired effect from this course. In this case, your goals may not correspond to the effect that you have obtained, however, this does not mean that you have not obtained any effect.
No personal data is requested, stored or processed by Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company so that he is not under any obligation in this regard.
Copyright of this course remains the property of Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company. Copying teaching materials (including audiovisual recordings and/or other media techniques) without the prior written permission of Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company, will be prosecuted.
By starting this course you, the student, agree to the above guidelines, safety warning and general terms and conditions. In case of dispute with Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company, Belgian law applies and the court in Turnhout (Belgium) has jurisdiction.
Upper crossed syndrome is a common problem. This postural pattern is characterized by increased curvature at the level of the upper back. As a result, the neck will also develop a stronger curvature, as well as the shoulder blades will rotate anteriorly. Consequences of this can include rotator cuff problems, neck pain, headaches, TOS, ...
Through specific exercises, physiotherapists try to address this problem. The exercises involved focus on stretching of the shortened structures, strength training of the weakened muscles, mobilization of the joints and posture education. These exercises are aimed at improving the upper crossed syndrome and its related symptoms. Please note that if you have been in that posture for a long time, it is often impossible to develop back the "normal" physiological curves. However, there is a good chance that by regaining mobility, the complaints will effectively decrease.
As of now, get started yourself with these home exercises. You can possibly combine them with an osteopathic, chiropractic or manual therapy approach. This course is build-up in a progressive way so that you have a good protocol to solve your upper crossed syndrome complaints. Start your rehabilitation today and I hope you'll enjoy the course and the exercises you'll learn.