Author: Landtiser

With Parkinson’s disease, we often see the forward rounding shoulders, a hunched back and forward lurched neck and head. These are the first three perpetrators of upper back pain. When your head leads in front of your shoulders, it puts an extra 10 pounds of weight on your neck muscles for every inch you move forward. As you can imagine pain will result in your neck, your upper back, shoulders and can even extend down your spine as your body is being overstretched and weakened by this posture. It also can lead to falls because the body mass is leading forward.

Here is a great way to mobilize rigid vertebrae and ribs in the upper back. It’s called “Open the Newspaper” on the foam roller.

Foam roller exercises and stretches are some of the easiest and most effective ways to relieve upper thoracic pain. It can also help loosen your shoulders and neck. Using a foam roller is also known as a “self-myofascial release,” which eases pain by loosening the soft tissue portion of the connective tissue in your muscles. It also can improve blood and lymphatic circulation and stimulate the stretch reflex in your muscles. Continue reading “Want to Prevent or Treat Parkinson’s Rounded Shoulders? Grab a Foam Roller and “Open the Newspaper!””

Parkinson’s disease affects the brain and nervous system to create a lack of awareness for the body to stand up straight, which can lead to many issues including tight muscles. The forward rounding posture caused by Parkinson’s can cause serious shoulder pain as well as other complications due to poor posture.

Luckily, there are great exercises and tips to improve your posture and relieve shoulder pain caused by Parkinson’s. Continue reading “How to Relieve Shoulder Pain from Parkinson’s with Myofascial Release”

The muscles of the upper back are very important to posture and the stabilization of the shoulder. The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body which means it’s predisposed to injuries and pain.

Specifically for people with Parkinson’s, the upper back and shoulders are prone to pain and dysfunction because of poor posture associated with rounded backs created by Parkinson’s disease.

This Parkinson’s shoulder exercise activates your upper back muscles and will help you improve your posture and relieve your shoulder pain. Continue reading “Improve Posture and Shoulder Pain with this Super Shoulder Exercise for Parkinson’s”