Pilates for tight shoulders.

Tight shoulders, neck pain, one shoulder higher than the other, restricted movement in a shoulder or shoulder pain are all issues that we see in the studio daily. There can be many causes, but many arise from our day to day lifestyle. Computers, laptops, smart phones, we all use them but they can affect our posture. Whether you have a desk job or not, you likely suffer from tightness in your shoulders and probably have a forward jut in your neck from leaning to look at a screen. So here are some tips to help and some exercises too:

Correcting your posture is a huge part of dealing with this issue.

  1. Bring your screen to eye level so you do not have to bend you neck to look at it. This may be you need a laptop raiser.
  2. Have your arms in line with keyboard so your wrists are not bent as you type.
  3. If working with your laptop, try not to use it on your lap! Instead place it ontop of a higher surface or place a laptop on your lap first.
  4. Stay away from the slouch. Sitting in good posture is an absolute must, as is taking posture breaks. Your eyes and shoulders will thankyou for a little move around.

To help deal with those aches and pains from working, lifting, leaning towards a screen or carrying children, here are some simple but effective shoulder mobilisers and release moves.

If you need more support with your neck of shoulders then why not book an assessment and sports massage with James.

How a sports massage can compliment your Pilates practice

Sports massage is one of those things that I often know I need, but I put it to the bottom of my list. Which is silly as it can make such a difference to my body.
Why do I procrastinate? It takes an hour for a massage, that’s an hour I could be doing a whole lot of other things, I have to find childcare, book it in, be organised and it will be a bit painful.

As someone who teacher Pilates pretty much daily and practises my own Pilates several times a week, then lifts, twists, bends, chases and rocks children… I use my body in a whole lot of ways, all the time. It is very rare to find me sitting still. This partly means that the constant movement I do keeps my body working. However, it also means that some of the moves I do cause my body problems. Teaching can overuse some muscles, as I demonstrate the same moves day after day. I’m often left with aching gluts!

So for me, sports massage helps:
1. Release tight muscles and finds the areas where you are tight. I went for a massage on my shoulders recently and it turned out my bum needed work instead!
2. Helps to realign you. Those tight muscles can be holding you in a bad posture.
3. Reduces stress and tension. I always feel more relaxed afterwards.
4. Leaves my body stretched working in a more functional way.

All of this means that the next time I am back to Pilates my technique improves. There are times when stretching works, there are times when massage works. If you are plagued by tight muscles in a certain area and you just can’t fully stretch that area out often enough, then get yourself to a sports massage.

James is offering massages at a very good price right now, see the facebook page for “Southampton Massage Studios” and contact him for details.