Blog article

And I am not talking about fashion! It is much more painful than fashion. 

You may have seen the texting posture, Shoulders forward, neck forward and a very curved upper back. You may even be a culprit of this yourself. 

Mind you, you can get this type of posture on the computer, driving long distance or from other occupations such as floor tiling,plumbing, some health professions. Also from pastimes such as needle craft, knitting or quilting. 

Try this simple test out at home. Have someone else look at you side on in the mirror. Imagine a plumb line going through the centre of your ear , shoulder and hip. If the ear is in front of the imaginary line then you have forward head posture. 

Your neck is designed to remain vertical, supporting the weight of your skull in a perfect line from the top of your head, through your body to your feet. Your head and brain weigh roughly 4.5-5kg. If your head is constantly pulled forward, the weight of your head pulls on your neck and shoulders, causing long term tissue damage and also puts pressure on your spine. 

Look at these stats. Every 2.5cm your neck is forward of its natural position, adds another 4.5kg of stress on the neck, shoulders and spine. That is why you can develop a large bump on one of your neck vertebrae. The body has reacted to build up bone and fatty tissue to protect the neck!

The forward head posture can cause much more serious health problems down the track, such as:

• Permanent damage to your joints, muscles, ligaments and nerves
• Arthritis
• Headaches and migraines
• Pain in your neck, shoulders and back
• Poor sleep and insomnia
• Fatigue and loss of energy
• stress.

So, how can I help?

• I look at posture
• Various massage techniques to work the muscle groups
• Exercises to stretch muscles and strengthen them
• Breathing exercises
• Mobility exercises

And overall, if possible do not have your neck in one position for long periods. Give it a break every 30 mins, it deserves it..

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