Dropped shoulders - what's the cause?

[merkur]

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[Golf_Nerd]

Originally Posted by merkur

While this thread may be better suited to the Body Consciousness forum, I figured posting in this forum might get a better response since apparently a lot of people have dropped shoulders and there are probably a few doctors on this site. What is the usual reason for a dropped shoulder? Is it just posture, anatomy or a result of disease?

Me, too. It's our age. We are getting older and older (but not while reading SF

 

[Working Stiff]

It's probably an issue with your back. I cannot overstate how much good a good osteopath can do for you, when dealing with this and other issues like it. There is no need to be complacent about this.

 

[Dewey]

It can be the result of physical activity in your youth and teenage years - carrying weight on one side of your body (bag of newspapers on one shoulder, heavy backpack or messenger bag worn on only one shoulder) - throwing things (baseballs, frisbees) - etc. Since we tend to do a lot things with only one hand, one shoulder will get more built up & drop relative to the other.

 

[Despos]

it's natural, people are not symmetrical. I have only had 2 clients that did not have a low shoulder and that is over 36 years.

 

[merkur]

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[texas_jack]

I played tuba in marching band and the sousaphone rests on your left shoulder. Mine is still low.

 

[Despos]

If it produces breaking under the arm, front and back and it bothers you, then yes. A tailor will add a pad. That will pick up the shoulder and even you out, side to side.
If shoulder pads are not your thing, then the sleeve is removed, the shoulder points reduced, armhole resized, sleeve set on the jacket. Now hope your tailor's skill level matched the original workmanship, otherwise one sleeve will look different from the other. Your bill will increase with the second method.

 

[Dewey]

Adding a pad might also require lengthening the sleeve, yes?

I didn't know dropped shoulders were so common, Despos. Thanks for sharing this fact.

 

[Despos]

Sometimes you need a sleeve adjustment, sometimes not. The pad is filling in the gap between your shoulder and the jacket. Put the shoulder pad in first, adjust the sleeve length after.

 

[teddieriley]

Originally Posted by Despos

it's natural, people are not symmetrical. I have only had 2 clients that did not have a low shoulder and that is over 36 years.

yup. just like people have one foot slightly bigger than the other. or one nut bigger than the other.

 

[jefferyd]

Originally Posted by Working Stiff

It's probably an issue with your back. I cannot overstate how much good a good osteopath can do for you, when dealing with this and other issues like it. There is no need to be complacent about this.

It usually has something to do with the curvature of the spine. Everyone (or so I am led to believe) has some degree of curve, which causes the rib cage to compress on one side and expand on the other; the hip on side that is low will invariably be high. I have known of a few diagnoses of scoliosis which arose after a visit to a tailor.....

 

[jcriswel]

Originally Posted by Despos

If it produces breaking under the arm, front and back and it bothers you, then yes. A tailor will add a pad. That will pick up the shoulder and even you out, side to side. If shoulder pads are not your thing, then the sleeve is removed, the shoulder points reduced, armhole resized, sleeve set on the jacket. Now hope your tailor's skill level matched the original workmanship, otherwise one sleeve will look different from the other. Your bill will increase with the second method.
The latter alteration brings the jacket's shoulder down to yours - is that correct? I think you are saying that the alteration will alleviate the breaking under the arm, front and back. When one looks at the person wearing a jacket altered by reducing the shoulder points, the shoulder will still look lower. The improvement is that you have no breaking under the arms. Am I interpreting your statement correctly? I have this issue and here is a pic to diagnose. The suit is an MTM suit and the tailor included requirements for the right lower shoulder. The shoulder still looks lower, but I don't see the breaking under the right arm. How well did the tailor do? There is very little padding in the shoulders.