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FAQ’s
I can do the position, but it hurts my shoulders – especially the right one – when I fully lower my wrists. I had frozen shoulders many years ago – first on the left shoulder.
Currently I have had sciatica pain in my right groin and hip for about two months if I sit too long or forget and stretch the groin getting out of the car. Have several other issues as well – headaches, neck stiffness (old whiplash 2X), tempermental knee pain. I’m thinking I’m probably a good candidate for your program if being a senior doesn’t make me a hopeless case! Will try the other stress tests now.
I don’t believe in hopeless cases, Carol!
Your nervous system is changeable and so is your function, inflammation status and pain level. There is a way. Start with the free series and stay tuned for the re-opening of our full home training course.
drh
I thought I was able to perfom the position but when I turned to looked at my wrists they were not flat to the floor. When I tried to flatten them I could feel my back arch a bit. It felt like a good stretch. Can’t wait for the next one.
That’s pretty classic, Paula…but changeable!
No problem with this one.
The lower ribs meet the floor, and the neck is fine, but the wrists are a good 8 inches from the floor. Consistent with alot of tightness in my chest and anterior shoulder.
Two words, Mike…foam angels
hi,managed to keep lower rib cage flat to the floor,but felt quite a bit of tension across the rear deltoids when pressing the wrist flat to the ground.Thanks for any advice.
Do the free series and really focus on foam angels and the T4 mobilization.
I was able to do this with all necessary parts touching the floor. The only problem I have is that it causes serious pain in my back to lay on it.
If lying on your back recreates your symptoms, then please don’t do it. Focus on the ones in the free series that don’t require you to lay on your back.
Be on the lookout for more help when I re-open my training / coaching course.
drh
Didn’t have any problems with this one. Just a pointer here, may want to give better instructions to the location of the elbow relative to the body. i.e. at 90deg to body?
Thank you, Andrew. Yes…90 degrees is correct.
Tight in the chest and shoulders.
Time to open up, Chris!
I was able to lie on the floor with my center back touching the floor and my right wrist flat on the floor as well. My left shoulder is painful when rotated back ( after a car accident last January) so my left wrist is above the floor in this position.
Go slowly and listen to your body. Stretch feeling is good. Reproduction of original pain is a stop sign!
This came out negative. I can do it.
That’s a fail. I can just about keep a connection but the wrists don’t make it and the shoulders are very, very tight. Feels as though I am much more round shouldered than I thought.
It sneaks up on you, Carrie. Time to rewire and remodel some tissue!
Can get my back to the floor. My neck is arched way back, nothing like the correct position. My wrists almost reach the floor (2-3) inches off. Lots of chest muscle pulling in that position. I assume I’m way out of wack.
Definite CPS, CL.
Sounds like your mid back could possibly be a bit stiff. Foam Angels and T4 mobilizations are great for that. When the mid back gets more extension movement then the head can come back into alignment and relax a bit.
I’ve been experiencing a lot of tension and pain in my neck and mid to upper back, but I found I was able to pass this test without any difficulty. Perhaps the source of my pain lies elsewhere?
Definitely lots of other possibilities. Dental, TMJ, poor hip function, fallen arches, poor core conditioning, etc.
Do the fundamentals exercise ssries and keep us posted.
Consider the home training / coaching course when it re-opens for more individualized help.
No problem with this one. Had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists previously so there’s a little gap, but can press them down with no problem and remain connected through the back.
Hi, this self test I kind of did it. My right hand wrist was touching the floor normaly but the left one no. It is about an inch or 20cm above the floor. Also my neck was not close to touching the floor it was as you were showing as not proper position in the test. I was able to keep my back to the floor easily but it is little painful. I have L5 S1 dick bulging going down my right leg. Also very often neck pain and headache. Thank you for your help.
Hey Viola, always be aware that if ANY exercise increases your symptoms related to your chief complaint, do not do them.
I can do this fine. No problems.
I could do all of this, although I had some pain in my shoulders and across my chest when I did it.
Hi Ann! Stretching pain is fine but if it brings up pain you normally feel then back off and try the other tests and exercises.
Seemed ok with this, didn’t feel too strained.
I can anchor the ribs ok and my head position seems fine. My left wrist I can almost get to the floor with some concentration but trying to get my right wrist closer to the floor causes pain around my right shoulder blade / upper shoulder. Interestingly, I also have TMJ problems on the right hand side of my jaw.
Hi Jane, they are likely related. TMJ dysfunction can create tension in upper trapezius which throws the shoulder joint out of balance.
You might be surprised by the results from doing the sample free exercise series. Give those moves a go for a couple of weeks.
Watch for our coaching program for more help!
drh
I can do it as long as my upper arms are at 90 degree angels with my body.
With my chest and shoulders relaxed, my wrists are about 2 inches from the floor. I can press the right wrist the rest of the way to the floor, but the left is still about an inch up. Pressing the wrists down causes me to pull the shoulder blades down and creates a bit of muscle strain in the front of the left deltoid and outside edge of the pectoral muscle (at the armpit) on that side. No arch in back and ribs stay on the floor.
Is this good, bad, somewhere in the middle? Any recommendations for getting the left side the rest of the way down without strain?
-Mike
You’re close, Mike. I would call it “somewhere in the middle”. Working the free series provided will help a lot. A visit to a DC or PT who does a good functional exam and manual therapy like Active Release Technique, dry needling, etc can speed progress.
Thanks, Dr. Steve –
I have chronic upper back issues – misaligned vertebrae, trigger points and tight/sore muscles. Unfortunately for any treatment regimen, I work overseas with the military and those technologies are unavailable where I’m at.
I’ll keep working the exercises and hope for the best.
– Mike
I have a coaching program opening up soon where you can get some more individualized help, Mike. Be on the look out.
drh
on initial positioning, I get spacing under my back and spacing under my neck and hands 6 inches above floor. When I push my back to the floor, my neck & head rise off the floor.
Pretty classic CPS, Jim. Work to get that mid back moving and work the exercises.
I did not do well on this exercise, my left shoulder hearts when I try to reach to cover my self with a blanket.
Sounds like a primary shoulder problem. Be sure to get a good orthopedic and functional movement evaluation by a qualified chiropractor or PT.
I was able to keep my back on the floor comfortably and neck in normal position. I could not bring my wrists to the floor. Space was about 2 to 3 inches between wrists and floor.
I have had scoliosis and DDD for many years. I have tried chiropractic, acupuncture, physical therapy and machine exercises since the beginning of March 2012. I’m taking a break from all that and am now learning some Feldenkrais at home with my husband reading the movements. I’ve been researching on the internet and came across your video for correcting piriformis syndrome and was very impressed and therefore clicked on your website.
By the way, I’m 76 years old.
Focus hard on getting good thoracic spine mobility, Martha. You are doing the right thing. Reprogramming movement patterns of daily life is a HUGE piece of the puzzle.
Foam angels and T4 mobs might be your friend.
I was able to do this exercise, with a little space under the wrists. But I had to push my rib cage on the floor with effort.
Did this ok but left wrist 3 inches off floor right wrist flat and pain radiating down left leg.
Darren please stay away from anything that reproduces your chief complaint.
It is easy for me. Thank a lot Dr.Steve
Tried this, and was shocked by my inability to get my wrists on the floor, or all of my spine on the floor when trying to get the wrists on the floor! I know I am round shouldered. Too many years hunched over a typewriter myabe. Have never had good posture. Is it too late for me? Am 48 years old.
The tissue remodeling could take a year or more but you can see and feel functional improvement in posture and energy within days to weeks.
I had a 65 year old with life long “posture issues” like yours and the light bulb went on with this method.
My motto. Anything is possible.
Thank you Dr Steve. That has given me hope. 🙂
You’re welcome, Karen!
I could not get my back flat and my arms would only go to the sides of my head, above my ears. I also could not lay my head on the floor, it was about 3-4 inches away from it.
Been a disabled veteran with lamenctomy of l5/s1 surgery in 1995. Every since that time if I over reach for something or bend over, I will feel a shock or knife stabbing feeling in my lower back followed by extreme swelling. It takes about a week or so of bed rest for it to relax.
Recently had a RF ablation with no success. Doctor suggested PT, so I started that up and trying to move forward. After a month and a half of vigilant stretching, I do feel a little better. The therapist started me on a exercise ball a week ago.
This past Friday I went to get up from a chair and felt my lower back strain, I was able to calm myself before it went into spasm. Saturday I was eating with the family at a restaurant and went to get up from the bench seating. I felt my lower back again strain and I got really nervous that it might incapacitate me right in the restaurant.
I was again able to calm myself and let it relax.
I don’t know if the stretching has helped it and the “episodes” will be less frequent/severe, but my journey for answers has lead me here.
I hope the road is the right one. After 14 years of not knowing what the problem is, it becomes a nightmare.
Hi Carlton! ACTIVE care like you’re doing (exercises, stretching, etc.) is the way out of this. I would also try to find a DC or PT who does nerve mobilizations or ask about “Butler mobilizations”. You may have scar tissue from your surgeries that could be irritating your spinal and peripheral nerves.
You’re on your way out of this…stay motivated, inspired, and positive!
drh
I have no problem doing the floor angel. Unfortunately I periodically get a very sharp pain in my upper back by my left shoulder blade. It seems to happen if my shoulders are hunched over and when I pull my shoulders back and open up my chest area, all is fine. It’s very hard to be in the “pulled back shoulders” position all the time! Are there any exercies that would strengthen something and allow me to round my shoulders at times without pain??
Hi Judy! The exercises from the free series will get you started in the process of feeling the right shoulder and chest position more naturally or organically.
BUT…I need to tell you to at least make sure you don’t have a disc problem in your lower neck because C5 nerve root issues can cause pain in the area you’re describing. This is especially important if it is difficult for you to lay down when you have the pain or it is relieved by placing your arm on top of your head.
Watch for our new coaching program to open up for more in-depth help!
Thank you for your comment!
drsteve
Where do I find the exercises in the free series? I hope I don’t have a disc problem in my lower neck! I doubt it. The pain I’m experiencing by my left shoulder blade goes away immediately when I stand up straight and put my shoulders back.
Thanks, Judy
The free series dashboard link is in the first email you received from me, Judy. You received it on 10/05/12 at 2:48pm.
I was just erroring on the side of caution when mentioning about the disc possibilities. Work the fundamental exercises to start re-awakening the proper posture and be sure to check out the “Organic Posture” video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDuar9tc774
drh
Hi Dr. Steve, I arrived to your site via Matt and Angela Monarch’s Rawfoodworld episode # 279 and 280 on youtube. This is fascinating. I did the first test and could do it however my wrists kept trying to make little bridges. I could force them down and keep my back on the floor with some effort. What attracted me to watch the videos was the words “muscle balancing”. I was recently told by my boot camp instructor that I have a muscle imbalance on left leg causing knee pain, as well I have tennis elbow which is also apparently caused by muscle imbalance.
Any type of stress…mental, emotional, physical, pain, nutritional, chemical / toxic, etc. can start a muscle imbalance program to get ingrained into your nervous system.
That’s what reversing CPS is all about! Keep us updated on your progress!
drh
P.S. That was a fun day at the spring! We are not hard core raw foodists but we did head up a raw food meetup group here in the Louisville, KY area to promote eating more raw plant foods 🙂
Your mention of stress getting ingrained into the nervous system brought to mind something I read long ago that the mind writes deeply into the body.
In light of that, a bit of an update and some further info:
About 1.5 years ago, I threw out my back from, of all things, a sneeze. The affected area is between the lower shoulder blades, roughly in the level of the lower third of the sternum. Since then, I have had a myriad of back issues. And yes, lots of stress over the job, money, health, etc.
A year ago, I went in to the hospital with an incredible amount of pain across my back and a lot of pressure at/under the diaphragm – EKG, echocardiogram and stress test all came back ok. I believe it may have been a muscle spasm connected with the back issue above.
When I try to employ good posture, I tend to get a stabby pain in the affected vertebra. Stretching the back or using a foam roller to get the vertebra to ‘pop’ tends to relieve things for a short time, but there is no lasting relief. I get many muscle knots along the upper spine and between the shoulder blades that I try to roll out using the foam roller or tennis balls with limited success. My heating pad is my new best friend. I also get occasional spasms in the upper abdominals / diaphragm that feel almost like a hiccup up into my chest – quite alarming to feel that as you’re drifting off to sleep.
On the foam angel, once my arms get out to about 90 degrees, it gets very hard to keep my shoulders down/relaxed and it feels almost like someone has grasped the bottom of my sternum and is lifting it up. I get pain through the front of the deltoid where it attaches to the humerus, wrapping through the gap between the deltoid and bicep and around the outside of the bicep into the low tricep. After a moment longer, my hand will usually start to twitch and the whole arm gets a tingly/electic shock feeling, usually accompanied by a pain to the inside of the shoulder blade. The left side is probably twice the intensity of the right side with these symptoms. Once I move my arms back down, the symptoms go away and I’m left with some residual tenderness at the outside edges of the sternum where the ribs attach, actual spots painful to the touch as if I’ve bruised myself.
Hey Mike, I would get evaluated by a qualified chiropractor who also does soft tissue work like ART or something similar. You obviously have some joint dysfunction / blockage happening somewhere…maybe a rib. http://www.activerelease.com/providerSearch.asp .
Sounds like the foam angels are bit too intense for you right now. Focus on baby belly and baby back and the other moves in the fundamentals series and pay attention to detail and keep us posted.
Thanks, Dr. Steve – I’ve been to a chiro several times on vacations back home. He’s been able to help a bit with neck issues, but no luck with the mid-back issue, unfortunately.
When I use the foam roller on my spine, that ‘bad’ vertebra will pop/click several times – usually, a rib in the area will pop/click as well.
Angel is a challenge for me especially when my shoulders are down. My ribs fly up. My wrists don’t touch but my forearms and fingers touch.
Join the CPS club, Martha! You are not alone and you’re in the right place. -drh
really looking forward to get started. and i lift weights.
Hi there, I did the floor angel, however, I felt a tightness across my chest. I was not painful. Although my wrists were reasonably flat, I could tell that my back was starting to slightly raise. I tried to relax but it still felt slightly tight across the chest. I look forward to the next one.
James
Good to hear from you, James! Keep us posted.
OK, did this without trouble, although I’ve had carpal tunnel in the past. Also a huge knot in right forearm some years back, requiring PT for 5 weeks. I keep doing the exercises given then because they feel good. Had thought I might have a problem keeping my back down, because of swayback. Will go on to next test
Yikes! My front ribs flare out. My back ribs are off the mat. My wrists are about six inches off the ground. And my forearms are touching the mat.
Is there hope?
Thanks for offering this.
Best, PK
Sorry. My forearms are NOT touching the mat.
PK
I thought this exercise looked simple enough, but when I lowered my wrists, my back lifted off the floor slightly. I definitely have ongoing shoulder and neck pain on my right side. Hoping to get some help to resolve this.
I tried this and thought I won’t have any trouble with this!!! I found out differently. I have been trying to be more proactive by doing yoga and some Posture exercises standing against a wall. I was good for the most part exept for a three inch area on my left wrist. I thought “how odd” I bent the wrist up and forced it down and found a pain beneath my right shoulder blade. I will definitely be looking to be more proacrtive in my stretching and am looking forward to learning more of your program.
Glad I could help bring it to your attention, Nancy 🙂 The posture exercises I present are steeped in Prague school ideas and methods. http://www.rehabps.com/REHABILITATION/Home.html
Truth is truth and these folks have it!
I could not even get my left elbow down or my wrist no problem with the right side
I’ll be interested in your progress with the free exercise series, Nancy. Keep us posted!
I failed. Neither wrist touches the floor, but the knuckles do. I don’t think my lower ribs are touching the mat either. If my neck is supposed to be flat on the mat, it isn’t. I have hip problems and chronic shoulder, neck and upper back tightness. The vertebrae in my lower back in the hip area touch the floor almost as if they are jutting out.
The lower rib connection is the most important thing, Lindsey. Keep working toward that with the fundamentals series and keep us posted on your progress!
After the third try I can push my hands to the floor.
I was able to do this but it was uncomfortable and didn’t feel “natural”- not because its wrong but because I am such a mess. I have lost hope but stumbled on your posts and trying not to give up. Thank you!!
I would lovingly challenge you to tell your self a different story. You are not a mess. You are in the process of learning and healing. Watch what you say to yourself…it sets up limiting beliefs that you cannot outperform.
“I am so grateful for helpful information and the positive actions I take to support my well being.” Or something similar would be a good “antidote statement” to plug in when you catch yourself talking down to yourself.
Thanks for the comment! Keep up the good work!
no issues, passed
Good day Doc, Fedmar here from Philippines I have this symptom I have tight neck,sometimes experiencing lower back pain.,I am service Engineer, and nature of work is always assigned on the field.In addition to my work we carry always backpack averagely weighing 7-10 Kgs,and caryy it for for long period of time for almsot 4 years in service on my company.i have a hump back posture,if you want i can give you picture for your info, and I am searching some answers on the web until i saw you video blog on youtube.Hoping for your kind reply doc for my message,im so willing to get into my core with your help.Hope to hear from you soon.
Best Regards,
Fedmar
Philippines
Do the fundamental exercise series and look for the home training course to re-open, Fedmar. Getting movement into your mid upper back will be crucial for you.
I couldn’t get any of the videos to work.. It was just a black rectangle with a smaller red rectangle inside and a white arrow inside that. Clicking on the arrow did nothng! 🙁
Sorry…it is directly embedded from youtube and I have found this to be the most reliable for everyone’s machines and software.
Try watching it directly on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wa0icQsqyI&feature=player_embedded
I was able to maintain back, rib, shoulder, & arm contact with the floor, & the backs of my hands were touching, as well; however, there was about a 1″ gap between my wrist bones & the floor. And being in that full-floor contact position really felt unnatural & somewhat uncomfortable to my typically hyper-extended pelvis. I do work on trying to maintain a neutral pelvis when I’m sitting & standing, but apparently not enough…
It will feel uncomfortable at first…especially if you have a forward tilted pelvis. You can place a folded towel or blanket or pillow under your lower ribs to bring the floor to you until you get used to it. Core training wheels 🙂
Dr Hoffman,
I failed the first video. I cannot even get my left shoulder to press down at all when I tried the first CPS self test #1. It puts me in major pain. I guess if you asked me the pain scale would be 1-10 , my pain is 10. Maybe I over exercised my arm before I found your site.
Thank you,
Janet
If something causes your original pain, please don’t repeat it except as a gentle test or “audit” later down the line after doing the fundamental exercises.