The Anatomy of Slumping: The Shoulder Girdle: Function & Issues

Ray Long, MD, specifies here the anatomical result of hunched shoulders and forward head:

The muscles that round the shoulders and internally rotate the upper arms shorten & tighten:

  • Subscapularis
  • Teres major
  • Anterior deltoids

Muscles in the chest, back and sides of neck get overworked & tighten:

  • Pectoralis major and minor
  • Levator scapulae
  • Scalenes
  • Sternocleidomastoid
  • Upper trapezius

Muscles that externally rotate arms & stabilize shoulder blades & neck flexors ” turn off” & weaken:

  • Infraspinatus
  • Teres minor
  • Posterior deltoids
  • Serratus anterior
  • Rhomboids
  • Middle and lower trapezius
  • Deep neck flexors: longus capitis and longus colli