The airport scanner test

WATCH people in airport security scanner machines and you’ll see how hard it is for many to hold their arms above their head without contorting their neck, arching their back or hoiking their shoulders up around their ears. The fact is that many of us have a restricted range of motion in our shoulders.

Shoulder immobility gradually creeps up on us when we work at a computer for hours hunched over the keyboard with our upper back rounded in a C-shape. This slouched position disrupts the rotator cuff muscles which support the shoulder, reducing its range of movement.

Additional problems occur if you frequently look down at your phone while your body is slouched. The muscles and connective tissue around the shoulders and upper spine are forced to stiffen in an effort to hold your heavy head up.

You might not know you’ve got a problem until you struggle, for example, to stack towels on a high shelf in the bathroom, or to lift your bag into an overhead luggage locker. Unless you work to keep some mobility in the shoulders, matters will get worse until you can no longer pull a jumper over your head or wash your own hair.

What to do:

Take a broomstick, or a rolled-up tea towel. Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended straight overhead in front of you, hands holding the broomstick or clutching either end of the tea towel.

Point your thumbs toward the ceiling and allow the stick or tea towel to rest in the crook between your thumbs and forefingers. Keeping your forehead and belly in contact with the floor, arms straight (parallel) and thumbs up, pull your shoulder blades back and down and lift your arms up as high as they’ll go. Hold for five inhales and exhales. Don’t hold your breath or bend your elbows.

Results:

If you can’t lift your arms, your shoulder mobility is way below what it should be.

If you can lift off the floor, but only for a few seconds while holding your breath, your shoulder mobility is restricted but be encouraged by this small amount of movement – there’s plenty more where that came from.

One to two inches off the floor is a sign that you can access the position, but there’s more work to be done. With practice, you should improve not only your range of motion but your stamina as well.

Two or more inches off the floor suggests a lack of shoulder flexion is not your problem.

Keep working to maintain your shoulder flexibility.

How to improve your score:

Tension or stiffness in the shoulder and neck is a signal that you need to move more:

● Take every opportunity to reach up high.

● Wheel your arms around when you get out of bed in the morning.

● When sitting, consciously roll your shoulders back.

● Instead of using your car’s reversing camera, turn around to look behind.

Repeat the airport scanner test weekly to track improvements.