When people think about stiffness in the neck, shoulders, or upper back, they often focus only on the area that hurts. But the body does not work that way. Your spine, shoulders, ribs, hips, and shoulder blades all work together. If one area is stiff, weak, or not moving well, another area may have to compensate. One simple way to start looking at spinal movement is with a trunk flexion and extension range of motion test. This test looks at how well your trunk and spine move forward and...

Why Shoulder Range of Motion Matters Shoulder mobility is not just about the shoulder joint. It also tells you a lot about the chest, upper back, shoulder blade control, and posture. One simple way to observe shoulder movement is by checking horizontal shoulder adduction and abduction. This quick movement can show whether the shoulder moves freely or whether tightness through the chest, front of the shoulder, or upper back may be limiting motion. For people dealing with rounded shoulders,...

Your Shoulder Blades Need Room to Move If you are using the Stand Up Str8 Middle Back Strengthening System, the goal is simple: You want to strengthen the muscles between your shoulder blades so your middle back can support you better. But here is something important: Before you strengthen, you may need to open up the tight areas that are limiting your movement. One of those areas is often the latissimus dorsi, also called the lat. The lat is a large muscle that connects into the upper arm...