Why is it difficult to put your hands behind your back?

If you have difficulty placing your hands behind your back, it is a sign of poor posture, weak shoulders, tight chest muscles, or excessively large biceps.

The humerus is a flexible part of the body and has to perform many functions. Therefore, this bone area is very vulnerable to damage due to the influence of many different factors. If you cannot reach behind your back, this is a sign that there is a problem with the flexibility of the shoulder and the mobility of the joint. Below are the causes of this condition.

Wrong posture

Office workers, students and pupils often have a tendency to sit with their backs hunched. This contributes to tension in the shoulders, leading to muscle stiffness and lack of flexibility in this area. You should change this by sitting up straight in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, working on a foam roller to increase flexibility and reduce muscle soreness and stiffness.

First, lie on your back on the floor, place the roller across your back, put your hands in front of you and stretch your shoulder blades. Lift your hips off the ground and put your weight on the roller. Shift your weight to one side, roll from top to bottom and switch sides.

Lack of shoulder flexibility

The shoulder joint consists of the humerus, scapula, and clavicle. They are connected by soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons, muscles, and joint capsules. When the scapula does not move toward the spine due to muscle tension, it can become obstructed and cause shoulder impingement; leading to lack of mobility.

To improve shoulder flexibility, you can perform shoulder rotations in a circular motion so that your shoulder blades are facing each other. Do this 15 times three times a day. This movement helps to expand the range of motion of the shoulder joints, improve posture, and relieve neck pain.

Difficulty reaching behind your back also reflects your health condition. Photo: Freepik — Difficulty reaching behind your back also reflects your health condition. Photo: *Freepik*

Chest muscle tension

Symptoms of breast engorgement include pain, poor posture, and reduced range of motion in the arms and shoulders. This is often caused by working on a computer or looking down at a phone. These activities can cause the shoulders to tend to curve forward, shortening the chest muscles and limiting the distance when pulling the arms back.

This condition can be prevented by doing chest stretches or working on a foam roller. You can do this exercise three times a day.

Overdeveloped biceps

Muscle imbalances are often caused by exercise habits or lifestyle. The arm muscles around the shoulder joint create uneven pulls, causing the joint to not be in a normal state , leading to limited joint movement.

The triceps stretch is an exercise that works the triceps and shoulder muscles, which can help relieve shoulder pain. To do this exercise, raise your left arm up and down behind your head. Then, use your right hand to push your left elbow down so that your palm is in the middle of your back. Try to hold for 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times on each side.

Huyen My (According to Livestrong )

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