Have Forward Head Posture? You're not Alone.
“Forward head posture is very common (66-90% of the population).”
With COVID-19, many of us are currently working/schooling from home, and spending more time than usual in a seated position. We see more and more clients come in due to neck pain, upper extremity numbness/tingling, along with headaches. We often work on posture with these clients, and we see HUGE reductions in symptoms when this is addressed.
Forward head posture is very common (66-90% of the population). This type of posture causes more stress on the cervical spine, due to the head position. A human head weighs 10-12 pounds, and just 1-2 inches of forward head posture can double or even triple the load on the cervical spine! Prolonged forward posture can cause muscle imbalances (upper cross syndrome), reduced mobility, and increased risk for spinal degenerative changes.
Symptoms associated with this can be general soreness, trigger point pain, muscle tightness, headaches, and potential tingling/numbness radiating into the shoulder, arm, hand, or fingers.
Neck pain is shown to affect 1/5 individuals at any given time, and is recurrent! Lets do something about that!
Poor posture looks like:
-Head poking forward past shoulder:
Tight upper trapezius and levator scapulae, and weak deep neck flexor muscles.
- Rounded shoulders:
Tight pectorals, weak lower trapezius and serratus anterior.
- Excessive thoracic kyphosis:
Excessive rounding of the mid back.
Upper Cross Syndrome
To reduce forward head posture, here are some cues to help with proper posture:
Ears in line with shoulders.
Chin slightly tucked.
Shoulders retracted.
Neutral spine posture.
Trying these cues along with some exercises can help reduce your forward head posture and alleviate some of the symptoms experienced. Some good exercises to strengthen and stretch the muscles involved in upper cross syndrome include:
Wall posture (every 1-2 hours) - hold for one minute
Chin tucks - 10 x 5 second hold
Upper trapezius stretch - 3 x 30 second hold
Pec stretch - 3 x 30 second hold
Thoracic openers - 5 x 10 second hold
Banded rows - 3 x 10 reps