As a chiropractor, I have cared for many, many people who have presented with chronic/acute neck pain, headache and upper back pain with situations that made it imperative that we define and manage postural distortions which we would either address successfully or be left with no hope of a stabilized recovery. Staying adjusted for these patients would require innovative measures, measures which demand that the patient come to understand the dynamics of their problem and a grasp of how self-care procedures are effective. Enter Upper Crossed Syndrome. UCS is a distortion of the body that involves combinations of Head Forward Posture, increased thoracic curvature or kyphosis, rounded shoulders and an associated imbalance of muscle tensions which result in a predisposition for pain which defies reasonable measures of management. Ibuprofen is not vitamin I and persistent requirement for analgesics can fairly be said to exceed reasonable measures. One of the real sticking points in dealing with UCS is the thoracic kyphosis. Successful adjusting always involves achieving motion and improving to new, normalized motion which is lasting. For these patients, the thoracic adjustment is often difficult to achieve and these are joints which are very challenging to re-train. Enter the Cross-Bench Pullover. Executing the movement is as follows.
- Setup: Lie face-up on a bench perpendicularly with a solid dumbbell (do NOT use a dumbbell with adjustable or removeable weights!) grasped with both hands encircling the handle as to have control of the dumbbell with a hold on one end of the weight as pictured. Your upper back is supported on the bench and your head is unsupported on one side of the bench and your hips are unsupported on the other side of the bench.
- Movement: Keeping your elbows slightly bent, slowly lower the weight behind your head while inhaling deeply to expand the rib-cage and simultaneously drop your hips as to effect as full a thoracic extension and rib cage expansion as is comfortable and safe.
- Return: Lift the weight back to the starting position, focusing on the movement at the shoulders and particularly allowing the clavicles and the shoulder blades to explore a full participation in the movement. DO Not do this movement with your elbows. Your elbows are really only responsible here to see that the weight clears your face and head as it rises and falls in the movement.
- Repetition: A set/rep scheme (12 reps/3 or 4 sets) which includes higher reps with less weight as you learn control and technique should develop to an increase in resistance as to achieve a fuller stretch and expansion of upper back and rib cage. Never take this movement to failure, control is essential.
The Cross-Bench Pullover is a fabulous movement which works the body through ranges and challenges muscles in ways that complement the more popular training movements and BONUS- this movement hits the long head of triceps better than any other movement I’ve seen and is gets results toning the back of the arms. Don’t tell anybody, it’s our secret.