I have the same issue!!! So glad I found this thread so I’ll be lurking when more answers come in.
Do you ever find yourself with a sore lower back after a jump lesson? I know I do…I also was looking through my videos and notice that I “roll” my back which contributes to my soreness.
I did a clinic with Canadian, Danny Foster, ( great fun and educational!) and he said to stick your stomach out/forwar. Its sounds so weird, but it really does force your shoulders back and opens up the chest area. I’ve really taken to it because I tend to slouch and round my shoulders, and when ever someone tells me to get my shoulders back i inevitably tend to do it by arching my back. Now I just think about pushing my stomach forward and i get a much more open chest and my shoulders naturally straighten out. Its been a surprising little game changer.
Another vote for shoulder PT! I have to respectfully disagree with a few posters on this one. A side effect of rehabbing from a bad shoulder injury was a much better and stronger shoulder position in the saddle. It has translated to much better stability and strength overall. It does take some work to figure out how to engage the right muscles and not just be stiff. But once you get the hang of it, you will enjoy the benefits of a more effective position.
I’ve also dealt with this. Try exercises to strengthen your core, lay on a foam roller or the floor to stretch your back out, use a resistance band or gym equipment to target the muscles in between your shoulder blades, stretch your chest, shoulder, and neck muscles, and do some light exercises to strengthen the back of your neck too. All I do for that is just lay on the bed with my head over the side and lift my head up and down until I feel some muscle fatigue. You can also lay on the bed on your back and lay an arm out over the side to stretch your chest muscles (or you can do this on the roller). I’m not a medical specialist by any means, but I’ve found doing these activities to be helpful for my rounded shoulders. Strengthening the area in between the shoulder blades has helped me to keep them back with less effort. I find a good spot for the resistance band in the gym where I can target this area, but the gym equipment has also helped too. My physical therapist kept telling me to get a gym membership. I took her advice and it has helped.
I DO THIS TOO!!! Have you found anything that helps?
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