

This can be achieved through a combination of corrective exercises and stretches. To fix UCS, you need to reverse the muscle imbalances that cause it.

Exercises for correcting upper crossed syndrome The combination of these muscle imbalances in the two lines creates a characteristic pattern of UCS.

The back muscles (rhomboids and lower traps) also become weak and long, which can cause the shoulders to lift up and round forward. Being in this compromised posture for too long causes the muscles in the front of the neck to weaken, making it difficult to push the head back into a neutral position. The second line of the cross (highlighted in blue) includes the weak muscles that are often affected when our head moves forward due to prolonged sitting, especially if we spend a lot of time looking at a screen or mobile device. The muscles that run from the shoulder blade to the back of the head (upper traps and levator scapula) also become tight, which can cause the upper traps to tighten up and become overactive. Prolonged sitting causes the pec muscles to become tight, which pulls the shoulders forward into a rounded position. The first line of the cross (highlighted in red) refers to the tight muscles that are often affected when we spend long periods sitting in front of a computer. It’s called “upper crossed” because it involves a particular pattern of muscle imbalances that creates two crossed lines in the body when viewed from the side. UCS is a condition characterized by muscle imbalances in the upper body. The muscle imbalances in upper crossed syndrome
