Posturology 101:
Forward Head Posture

By Cavan Collins

Has anyone ever told you to hold your head up or stand up straight you're slouching (for me it was Mom)? Have you ever caught yourself counting the cracks on the sidewalk, finding a lot more change on the ground than you really should or missing your destination because you were looking down instead of straight ahead. If you said yes to any of these you more than likely suffer from forward head posture.

Now, if we were like Giraffes who grab, push, reach and eat all with their head, neck and mouths then it would be safe to say that the cause of our forward head posture is a result of how we use our heads and necks. It is very important to understand the root cause so we can address the issue thoroughly and help each individual get permanent and long lasting results.

In Reposturing we understand that in many cases (not all) forward head posture starts in the hands and arms. In our day to day lives everything we do is in front of us and most of us are using our hands to do these things whether it's typing, filing, moving boxes and more. Over time our hands start to roll in, which then rolls our arms in, which then rolls our shoulders in creating tension and tightness in the chest which pulls our rib cage down and in.

Once you understand this you must next understand that the angle of the rib cage dictates the angle of neck (forward head posture). The more severe the angle of the rib cage the more severe the forward head posture. The more upright and level the rib cage the more balanced the head sits on top of the neck.

So to get permanent and long lasting results for our forward head posture we must unravel and unwind the hands and arms, we must roll the shoulders and arms back behind our body's midline by creating flexibility in the chest and shoulders and enough strength in the upper back to hold our shoulders back easily and effortlessly.

Some of the functions affected by forward head posture are breathing, head support, head circulation, head pressure regulation, food transport, and nerve function.

Some of the many problems and issues that may arise due to forward head posture are nerve damage, cervical bone spurs, cervical disc degeneration, TMJ, headaches, neck pain and much more.

Just because you are not in pain does not mean that forward head posture is not wreaking havoc on your health, act today!!!

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