Upper Crossed Syndrome

Good posture is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a healthy spinal column. Without it, you’re at risk for developing Upper Crossed Syndrome, a condition that causes people pain all the way from their jaws to their upper backs. We can provide holistic, non-invasive treatments for it at the Carrollton chiropractic office of Dr. Peter Lazarnick (Dr. Pete), but to help our patients avoid it, we need to explain what it is.

If you were to look at someone from the side, you could draw one diagonal line from the top of the center of their shoulders to their pectorals, and an intersecting diagonal from the side of their neck to their upper back. In a person with Upper Crossed Syndrome, the top of the shoulders and pectorals are tight and enlarged from being over active, while their neck and upper back muscles are weak from underuse. This happens when people spend too much time sitting hunched forward. The more they hold this posture, the more their muscles become misshapen, leaving them with their shoulders raised and their heads thrust forward.

Upper Crossed Syndrome is a muscle issue and can be treated with soft tissue therapies including Muscle Energy Technique and diathermy. Patients will need to undergo physical therapy to stretch their tight muscles and build up their weak ones. We can also perform chiropractic spinal adjustments if a patient has incurred subluxations from the pressure their muscles have put on their spinal column. It is usually possible to reverse the effects of Upper Crossed Syndrome, but doing so will require the patient to learn better posture and give themselves more breaks from sitting.

Dr. Peter Lazarnick is located at 486 Bankhead Hwy, Carrollton, Georgia, 30117. To schedule an appointment, call 770-832-2226 or visit www.askdrpete.com.