uneven hanging position

I have been following foundation 1 for almost a year now and I decided to take a video to check my hanging form. I discovered that the right side of my rib cage is sitting higher than the left and when I look down my righthand ribs are also protruding more anteriorly than my left.

 

After finding this I also noticed that when doing elevated cat stretch in the stretch series that the right side of my rib cage sticks out more there too. Also while standing I do tend to hold my Right shoulder slightly higher than the left.

 

I did have some rotator cuff discomfort a few months ago on the right side with foreward xiaopengs but i found with careful form correction that has gone away but I'm not sure about how to fix this one.

 

I have started  freehanging on a bar throughout the day to see if it is a case of things just need to gently stretch out but so far no change.

 

Has anyone else had this problem or does anyone have any advice on how to fix?

 

Hi Luke,

 

It is clear to me from your video that you have a slight lateral scoliosis, concave left. You can see in the video in the 2nd & 3rd second that your left hip sits higher than the right (left iliac crest vs right), and if you pause the video at 7secs, just prior to raising your arms, that your right shoulder sits higher (as does the right nipple) which ties in with the left sided lateral curve.

 

Most people wouldn't notice as it takes a trained eye and someone who looks for these asymmetries on a daily basis, it's part of my job as an Osteopath. I think these have been with you for years, as you can see a very subtle reflection of this curve in the position of your jaw. To you it feels completely balanced, because this is your state of balance that you have been in for many years.

 

I too have a slight lateral curve and so do many others! I wouldn't worry about it at all. It's nothing pathological and not something that you should think about fixing as you would think about fixing a car. Now that you have been doing foundation for some time you are undoubtedly more in tune with your body and aware than ever before. This is a good thing. 

 

You will probably notice that certain stretches and movements are easier on one side than the other. For example, stretching over your left leg vs right leg will be different.

 

The ribcage issue you have noticed is purely a reflection of your lateral curve. I would focus on stretching the left side of the body to smooth the curve out a little. Do this by focusing on the lat stretches in the early Rope climb progressions, but performing 2 or 3 stretches on the left side for every one you perform on the right.

 

I have to go now but am happy to elaborate further or talk some more on the subject. 

 

Welcome to the wonky club!

 

Wes

Hi Wes,

 

Thanks very much for your detailed reply. I will keep this in mind while training and work on stretching out that left side more.

I also discovered yesterday that my right side intercostals feel much tighter than my left and as a consequence cannot breathe so deeply into my right lung while leaning in the opposite direction. perhaps that is actually due to the spinal curve.

 

I am also an acupuncturist and considered myself fairly in-tune with my body after 10 years of martial arts.. I'm amazed that I haven't noticed anything here before now. It speaks for the level of fine tuning involved with building a solid gymnastic base in the foundation course.

 

Thanks again

 

Luke