DO YOU HAVE UNEVEN SHOULDERS?

"Uneven shoulders" are often noticed when you look in the mirror as you get dressed after a shower. This can be a cause of various symptoms such as tension headaches, pain, tightness, pins and needles and a lack of general mobility in the neck and shoulders. Most of the time, it is not a major health concern. Common causes include:

• Poor posture - due to lifestyle factors leading to muscle imbalances (muscle tightness and weakness) 
• Scoliosis - a twisted spine which could be congenital or environmental
• Being heavily dominant on one side of the body - for example, a regular tennis player or a manual labourer who uses a particularly heavy tool frequently
• Pinched nerves in the neck or shoulder 
• Less common - neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, spina bifida and spinal cord trauma

Depending on the clinical diagnosis, physiotherapy which may include postural education, manual therapy and corrective exercises can be beneficial to correcting these common issues in mild-moderate cases. In more severe cases, surgery and medication may be considered.

If you are worried about having "uneven shoulders", please do not hesitate to get it professionally assessed by an appropriately trained physiotherapist or your GP.