Uneven Shoulders: The Ultimate Guide - Coach Sofia Fitness

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Do you notice that one of your shoulders is getting higher than the other? Uneven shoulders is a common issue nowadays. In this guide, you’ll learn why you’re developing uneven shoulders and how to fix it with corrective exercises and good postural habits.

Uneven shoulders is a prevalent imbalance, where one shoulder is hiked up and looks higher than the other.

What Causes Uneven Shoulders:

• Structural causes
• Muscular imbalances due to side dominance
• Postural imbalances (desk and office posture)
• Stress and shallow breathing

Below I’ll explain the three primary causes of shoulder height discrepancy so you can better understand how to fix it.

UNEVEN Shoulders? Is one shoulder higher than the other? Here's how to fix it

Structural Causes

There are structural causes where the individual has a Leg length discrepancy or Scoliosis that can cause the hiked-up shoulder situation.

Muscular Imbalances

The scapula is attached to stabilizing muscles. Here’s an image of what the scapula looks like.

Right side dominance can cause that right shoulder to tighten up and become higher than the left.

Over-tightness of the upper trapezius muscle can also drive one shoulder up in addition to pain and spasms.

I’ll show you how to fix this issue in this post.

Recommended program: Trapezius Control

If you play sports with a dominant side, this can happen quickly.

Using particular muscles over and over often on just one side of the body can tighten that area.

The muscles will then spasm and contract (latissimus dorsi, upper trapezius).

It’s always good to check with your doctor that this issue is not structural.

A helpful sign that a muscular imbalance causes this issue is when you can fix the problem through a massage or adjustment, but the problem keeps coming back.

Postural Causes

Postural habits can also lead to uneven shoulders. In addition, postural habits often lead to muscular imbalances as well.

Here are a few examples of postural habits that lead to uneven shoulders, neck and shoulder tightness, and pain:

Sleeping on one dominant side leads one shoulder to round, elongating and weakening the scapula muscle stabilizers.

If you sleep with a high pillow, it can cause additional neck tightness and pain.

Carrying a backpack on just one shoulder causes that shoulder to rotate inward and elevate. The same goes for heavy grocery bags, for example.

If we tend to carry a bag on the right shoulder or always use the right arm to carry heavy items, we’ll develop an imbalance where one side is tightened, and the other is weak and lacks muscular tone.

Try this now and see how your shoulder automatically shrugs and goes up.

If you repeat this frequently, you’re more likely to adapt and maintain that posture even when not carrying the backpack anymore.

Carrying grocery bags using just one side does the same thing.

Another common habit is looking down when using your phone…

… Holding the phone and shrugging your shoulder up to keep your phone from falling.

You may feel like you’re doing these things every day. Still, you can develop imbalances and tightness over time.

Suppose you’re doing an assessment or an adjustment or chiropractor. In that case, they will usually pinpoint that you have uneven shoulders or uneven hips.

They can correct that. And then, two weeks later, you go back, and the same issue is happening again.

And that’s because the root cause of the issue hasn’t been addressed.

Stress and Shallow Breathing

The next time you are feeling nervous or stressed, pause and notice your shoulder posture. You’ll probably notice your shoulders tensing up, and you’re not breathing deeply.

Without being mindful of this, we risk holding this posture for many hours a day, especially at work. This is another cause of tight shoulders.

Assess And Observe

The first step is to identify which side the shoulder is elevating.

Often, the elevation is happening on the more dominant side. However, you can also see it on the non-dominant side.

We can then figure out the primary cause of the problem.

How To Fix Uneven Shoulders

The first step to eliminating this uneven shoulders issue is to fix the harmful postural habits.

The second step is to use release and exercise techniques. I’ll show you how to do both below.

Proper Desk Posture

Avoid looking down when using your computer or cell phone.

Keep the keyboard close to your body while sitting at your desk. Avoid reaching out forward to type or use the mouse.

When you’re typing or using the mouse, bend your arms at a 90-degree angle.

You’ll be shrugging your shoulders if your desk is too high up.

Carrying Bags Posture:

Carry your backpack correctly. Use both straps to distribute the weight over both of your shoulders.

Carry your laptop bag across your body instead of on just one shoulder.

Hold your grocery bags with your hands, don’t rest them on the crook of the arm. And use both arms to distribute the weight evenly.

Muscles To Release To Fix Uneven Shoulders

As I mentioned earlier, release alone may not fix shoulder height discrepancy. It would be best if you fixed any existing muscular weaknesses (which I’ll show you below) and put effort into correcting your posture.

Shoulder Release:

Let’s begin by releasing the upper trapezius muscle.

You can get a massage or do self-myofascial release using a massage ball.

You can use your hand to press the massage ball down to release any tightness. Or, lean against the wall and press down on the upper trapezius.

I show you how to do this in my program Trapezius Control; we go deeper into releasing each muscle in the neck area.

Shoulder Stretch:

Lean your head to one side.

Gently place your hand over your head.

Keep your shoulders down.

Hold the stretch for 10-20 seconds and switch sides.

3 Exercises To Fix Uneven Shoulders

Corrective exercises are crucial to preventing this issue from recurring.

The exercises below will strengthen the rotator cuff muscle group.

They’ll help restore your posture and also fix any weaknesses in that area.

Shoulder Blade Squeezes Exercise:

1. Stand nice and tall against the wall.
2. Avoid overarching your back.
3. Squeeze your shoulder blades together.
4. Keep your shoulders down.
5. Hold the squeeze for 1 second and slowly release.

You can do this exercise at work if you sit on your computer for a prolonged period.

It helps to restore posture and strengthen the scapular stabilizers.

Shoulder External Rotations:

1. Anchor a resistance band to a heavy chair, table, or weights.
2. Bend your arm at a 90-degree angle.
3. Externally rotate your arm as you pull the resistance band.
4. Avoid compensating by moving your elbow out.

Halo Exercise:

1. Keep your shoulders down.
2. Grab a small kettlebell or dumbbell.
3. Start circling the weight around your head. It’s okay to touch your hair.
4. After you come back to starting position, reverse the direction.

Keep your core engaged while doing this exercise. Also, make sure you’re breathing throughout the whole movement.

And avoid overarching your back.

The shoulder blades will be moving in a downward position as you move the weight around your head.

There are so many effective exercises that can help you solve this issue, like this shoulder strengthening routine.

I’d also love to support you inside my program, Trapezius Control, which focuses on helping you unlock your shoulders and fix neck and trapezius pain.

If you found this post helpful, consider sharing it with others.

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Coach SofiaCertified Strength Coach | NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist & Founder at CSF Back Recovery Inc.Hey there, I'm Sofia. Welcome to my blog! I'm here to help you get permanent relief from piriformis, hip, and lower back pain without spending years in pain suffering through information overwhelm or temporary fixes. I've been through the chronic pain journey myself. I know how lonely and hard it can get... Click here to read about my story and how I healed after 7 years of chronic pain, against all odds.Programs And Coaching Latest posts by Coach Sofia (see all)

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