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FAQ’s
Floor Angel test was a pass. Thank you, on to test #2
So what does it mean if my ribs touch but I can't make my wrists or back of my neck touch?
upper crossed syndrome, Phil. Could be stiff mid to upper back. Could be from poor shoulder joint mobility. Usually the thoracic spine is the biggest issue. Foam angels and T4 mobility exercises in the free series are designed to help with that.
I could get my lower back and wrists to touch the floor but I had some difficulty getting the back of my neck to reach the floor.
to be clear, the back of your neck does not have to be flat with the floor, Tina. There will be a natural curve there. You just don’t want your chin poking forward.
I could get my lower back and wrists to touch the floor but I had some difficulty getting the back of my neck to reach the floor.
Iris, see my previous reply to Tina above
Floor Angel test , I pass. Thank you so much for a very informative self test.
You're welcome, Brenda!
Couldn't get right wrist on floor. Had dislocated shoulder surgery 40 years ago (am 66) on right side. Do I have what you call UCS? I'm just getting into your material now, I think I should probably read something first, what would you suggest (eg I don't know what UCS is). Thank you!
Hi Marie,
Yes, most likely it is CPS. We all have varying degrees of it with varying affect on our daily lives.
To see a video explaining upper and lower crossed posture visit http://www.corewellnessinstitute.com . It's on the home page.
Keep us posted during your journey of discovery!
drh
Ok, so I've figured out how to find more info on your website. Fascinating. I particularly liked the pointers for sitting well, pushing and rooting down thru the sitsbones to reach up to the sky, getting the shoulders on the back, and the thumb move to open the front line. Looking forward to exploring more. Still interested in whether that right shoulder restriction would be considered UCS….
Yes, especially if it has been drawn forward over time. UCS can be worse on one side vs the other.
My left side passed easily. I can get my right hand to the floor but my elbow is at an angle. I have had rotator cuff issues with my right shoulder and I'm pretty sure that's the problem here.
Yes, shoulder dysfunction is a common cause of CPS, Mary.
My wrists were about 2 inches off the ground and you could still fit fingers underneath my ribs. I know that I must lay flat on the floor more often so my lower back can connect with the floor without tightness and muscle contractions.
Yes, it can be retrained and rewired through conscious repetition, Trina. Keep us posted!
drh
First test – pass. I did this a few days ago and had a slight gap between the shoulder blades. Your key instructions – total flat back, neck position and wrists on floor really helped. On to #2!
Ouch! Very painful and tight over thoracic spine area when I tried to make contact with the floor. Couldn't get my wrists down 🙁
Just lying on foam roll for 5 to 10 minutes a day could be helpful if it feels pleasing to do. If it feels like it is irritating, then do not continue.
Passed.
Thanks Dr. Steve,
I passed the test, but I did feel some tension in my shoulders. I also felt that my body wanted to arch and raise that lower rib anchor. So I guess I didn't fully pass?
If it feels like it wants to raise, then you've still got some training to do to reconnect to your deep core system, Joey. Keep it up!
Spine flexibility is fine. Shoulders very tight; wrists 5-6 inches from floor. (2 clavicular fractures when less than 6.)
The foam angels should help with that, Allen. You can also do them with elbows at 90 degrees to encourage the external rotation. Keep us posted!
Spine flexiblity is fine. Shoulders very tight; wrists about 5-6 inches from floor.
AOK on left but cannot bring wrist to floor on right. No prob keeping back/neck in alignment. I'm not surprised b/c I've had issues with the right shoulder and neck and have had symptoms of rotator cuff injury and carpal tunnel in the past, as well as neck pain which I relieve w/ a traction device (a lifesaver!). It is great to be able to have a test to follow my progress. Thank you!
You're welcome, Karen. It's nice to have an "audit" for sure.
snow angel failed.
If you don't count that my left wrist was about 1/4" from the floor and my right wrist 1/2" from floor, I passed.
I had done this test two days ago as part of the series of tests that y ou sent and I passed. Not sure why you sent this again, but, since I woke up with pain at the back at the shoulders which turned out to have been caused by suddenly really really tight pecs I thought I'd do it again. By the way, within an hour the pain was totally gone. I still passed, but this time there was pain/discomfort in the back ribs. I had worked much of the morning on rotating my armpits forward, especially when I was driving, and when I was sitting letting my hands lie on my lap with the palms up, both of which had the effect of stretching my pecs and getting my shoulders back in position. Perhaps I had been negligent in doing pec stretches recently? Yesterday, I did the angel wings lying on the roll, but I did little more than move my arms out a bit, not even straight out. So it's possible I had overstretched the pecs which then reacted badly to the insult. Sigh. Yes, this sort of thing has happened to me before, but with ham-string stretching. So I will start doing angel wings, or for now at least just letting my arms lie in the lowered position, on the floor..
The email follow is automated to ensure you get to all the self tests.
Be sure to gentle and "intentional" when doing all the pec opening and external shoulder rotation work and be sure your rib cage does not "flare open" in the front when you do it.
Good intuition about just letting your arms lie, Peg. Stay with it!
drh
Relatively recently I had developed the habit of letting my rib cage "flare open," I think because of overinterpreting raising the sternum ({a singing instruction). That habit is quietly disappearing and one interesting result is that when I let my breath drop in when i sing, the lower abs go into action much more easily!! Yeah!!! I am continuing to let my arms lie and the upper back is relaxing down more and more.
Great Peg!
I passed test #1 but i did have to press in. My right wrist did want to come up off the floor a little if i relaxed. I could really feel the pull on the front of my shoulders.
Great session. Back came up very little. Tightness in the right shoulder. Will keep trying this exercise and see if I can loosen up those muscles.
Failed. Upper back tight. Onward.
My right arm went down flat, but my left arm has impingment, or butisitis or frozen shoulder, (Not sure).
I can only keep that falt on the floor at my hip.
I have had this for 6 months and your anchoring the shoulder blades into my back pockets has hlped me in 5 mins flat.
Awesome Wendy. Keep us posted on your progress!
Hi,
I could not reach down with my wrists fully. I work on a computer all day and feel very tense on my upper back and neck a lot of times. How can I correct this?
Thank you
Start with the free exercise series you got when you signed up for the email list. That will get you going. It’s designed exactly for you issue.
The backs of my hands touch the floor, but my wrists do not. If I flex my hands up a little to clear the way for the wrists, I still can't force them down to the floor.
Passed. Not a problem. What is next?
I passed Test #1. I think it's the next test that will tell the tale!
I didn't pass. Wrists probably one inch from floor. Chin may be somewhat forward. Definite pulling across the front of my shoulders.
I don't think I passed? I experienced the same symptoms as Lynn. My wrists were not absolutely flat to the floor and there was a tightness across the upper chest area. Chin and rib area were fine. I still have the excruciating pain down my right leg all the way to my foot which originates from inside of my behind, and can only relieve it by medication. What next?!
Jackie, you need to rule out your disc in your low back as a cause. Please see a chiro or PT who knows about Mckenzie methods. You can explore this post as a starting point. Also search "disc" here on the blog for more resources.
If you would like my individual help, you can enroll in the course at http://www.reversecpsnow.com/course-enroll-2013. That will give you access to ask me anything you want through the comments inside the course for 3 months plus twice monthly open call in times for one on one phone or skype help.
good luck!
drh
My wrists did not meet floor. When I pressed them down, my mid back rose slightly. I am fused from T9-L5 and I have had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists.I do have signifcant pain in my mid back when I walk, but also low back, too. Very frustrated.
I passed this test
Was able to get my back flat with my arms down….but my neck had a huge arch in it. When attempting to flatten my neck ….then my back arched up. Lots of stiffness and soreness in my neck with this test.
larry
Classic, Larry. The free series should help a lot in your case.
At the risk of sounding really dumb….what is the free series?…..or maybe an even better question is….. Where do I find it?
thanks!
You got the link when you subscribed to the blog with your name and email, Larry.
Hello, I have fibromyalgia and ehlers danlos syndrome. I suffer from upper back pain and a recurring dislocating shoulder. I did ok on the other tests but on this one my ribs could touch the floor but my hands were 8 inches away with a lot of tightness across the chest. I am finding all of your information helpful, thank you.
Those findings could definitely explain the upper back pain. Floor angels and T4 mob and the rest of the free series should be good for you. Keep us posted on your progress!
I think I failed with the Floor Angel. My back was flat on the ground but could not get my wrist to the floor. I felt really tight across my chest. Could having surgeries on both shoulders have anything to do with the lack of my wrist touching the floor?
Thank you,
Vivian
Absolutely Vivian, movement in the shoulder is critical to pass this test but if you felt most of the tension in the chest it's possible to improve through the fundamentals exercise series you got access to when you subscribed. Especially foam / floor angel, T4 mobilization, and baby belly.
Passed, but don’t have foam roll to do foam angel yet
Wrist touched on one side, and almost down to floor on the other. Definitely felt the tension in the mid-back as well as pecs. As a massage therapist, I probably need to stretch out much more than I do now! Thank you for the self-test and the awareness that is needed to live a better, pain-free life and enjoy my career a little longer. I am 59 and loving the work!
I completed and passed with no problems (however there is a slight air gap under my neck even with my chin touching my upper chest).
My wrists remained 2 to 3 inches from the floor, there was a 1 in gap in the small of my back and neck.
Just a bit of history, 4 month ago I was thrown abruptly over the handle bars of my mountain bike while riding quite fast. i broke my collar bone and tore tendons in the back of both my arms right below the rotator cup. Though Xrays showed no damage, my spine has been bothering me, especially in the middle of my upper back. The pain sometime gets quite bad, and any wrong or abrupt move brings pain simular to that of, if one was to hit me in the back real hard
First time I could not get arms/hands to go all the way down to the floor. Ribs on the floor not a problem. Golden retriever thinks its play time.
Failed. I'm 72 but did not realize I am so inflexible. Must be all those years working with a computer. My wife passed – can't let that continue.
Basically a fail. I couldn't quite get the wrists down to the ground.
Fail. Couldn't get wrists to floor.
Also, very difficult to get down to and up from the floor. Hope you have solution since it is very embarrassing when others are around to see me crawl to a table or chair for assistance.
Another problem…when getting out of a car, my thighs hurt so much that it is difficult to walk correctly. I shuffle like a very old lady with a walker until normalcy returns after shuffling 20-30 feet. Solution? Thanks.
Very helpful. I was able to perform the movement but there was a little tightness is my shoulder girdle.
Hi
Not so easy as I thought it would be, wrists off the floor but getting better.
Opening up the chest is giving great relief to tension in my back and shoulders, this is a welcome unexpected benefit, thank you. Look forward to learning more.
My wrists are about an inch shy of floor…
I'm 66, dealing with a lot of lower-back pain in past few months. Lying flat on floor is one of the few things that (temporarily) helps, and sometime's it's painful getting my spine to connect with the ground — plus all the mad clicking noises! Do I need to continue to try to get my wrists to engage with the floor? Or will all be revealed in due course?
couldn't touch the floor with wrists, elbows or neck
passed! Interesting test!
Ribs did not quite touch floor. Some tension in hands
Hi Dr. Steve,
I just about passed that test I think but definite stifffness which I hopefully can work on.
Incedentally, I signed up at the end of last week for the free intro course and don't seem to have received a link to the material? Not sure if I am overlooking something obvious but maybe it could be re-sent if I missed it?
Thanks!
Melissa
Thank You. That test was interesting to recgnize that because of a bad shoulder, I couldnt take my right arm down on the Floor. I hope You show video about how to do exercising against it
Best regards from Monika
The fundamentals exercise series covers several great exercises to help, Monika. Let us know how you progress!