29/12/2025
Why Your Shoulders Still Hurt — Even When You’re “Doing Everything Right”
These days, most of us spend hours at a computer, then unwind scrolling on our phones. We know posture matters. We set up our desks, sit up tall, stretch our chest… and yet…
Our shoulders still feel jammed. Tight. Stuck. Achy.
Here’s the surprising truth:
You can have “perfect posture” — and still overload your shoulders every single day.
Because holding yourself upright with muscles alone doesn’t work if your foundation isn’t aligned properly. And let’s be honest — none of us can think about posture 100% of the time. The moment we switch off… we collapse right back into the old strain patterns our body is holding.
So what actually governs your posture?
👉 Your pelvis
👉 Your rib cage
👉 Your spinal curves
👉 Fascia and muscle tension patterns
This matters a lot if you have chronic shoulder tension.
You can roll, stretch and strengthen your shoulder muscles all day… but if the base your shoulder moves from (the rib cage + thoracic spine) isn’t positioned well, relief will always be temporary.
Here’s what happens when the rib cage or upper spine is stiff, flared or rotated:
- Your shoulder blade can’t glide properly 🛑
- You lose vital space inside the shoulder joint (sub-acromial space)
- Mobility drops… tension climbs… pain shows up
- Nerves can even become irritated
And this part surprises many people: Muscling yourself into “good posture” can actually make things worse.
If your foundational alignment is off — pulling yourself upright with the wrong muscles increases stress on the rotator cuff, biceps tendon, and can lead to impingement and nerve symptoms down the arm.
✨ Good shoulder mobility starts from the rib cage and thoracic spine. Not the shoulders themselves.
If that foundation moves well → shoulders glide easily
If it doesn’t → stress, strain and pain take over
If your shoulders are constantly tight (even when you’re trying hard!), this is a huge clue that the real issue lies deeper — in your rib cage and spine.
On Thursday, I’ll share a short video showing how your rib cage affects shoulder freedom — and what you can do this week to change things.
