Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries guesses that you are experiencing
at least one of these things this very moment:
tight jaw, stiff shoulders creeping up toward
your ears, chin tilting down, head projecting
forward on your neck. And if you are on your
cellphone reading this, you are likely doing all of these at the same time!
Forward head carriage or forward head posture (that Wikipedia (1) refers to as
“Justin Bieber Head” and "iHunch"!) is well-known to many of us. Cell phone use, improper computer screen
set-up, and stress may all be part of the cause. This posture forces our 10 pound heads to stick
out and off of our necks. Not a pretty image
or healthy situation! Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries can help!
FORWARD HEAD CARRIAGE / FORWARD NECK POSTURE EXPLAINED
What is it? Forward head carriage happens when
your neck juts forward over your first spinal vertebra, C1
(cervical vertebra 1). Each inch forward boosts the weight on
your neck by 10 pounds. (2) That adds up! What follows? Neck
pain. Shoulder stiffness. Pain between the shoulders. Fatigue. Headache. Arm pain. Jaw pain. Do you feel it?
FORWARD HEAD CARRIAGE / FORWARD NECK POSTURE HELPED
What is relieving? It may appear
that since it is a neck issue treating the neck and
directing care to the neck itself only would
have the greatest impact toward fixing
the issue and any related pain. A group of researchers reported
that this is not really the case. They compared neck mobilization treatment (plus stabilization exercise) to
thoracic spine (upper back) mobilization treatment (plus stabilization
exercise. They discovered that using thoracic
spine mobilization treatment plus stabilization exercise delivered
better results. Pain, disability, and global rating of change by patients
all improved along with their craniovertebral angle when
standing as well as their cervical extension posture. (3) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries uses
Cox® Technic, a gentle stretching treatment for the neck and
thoracic spine that is quite effective for spinal issues
like this. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries makes sure that our Manchester chiropractic patients with forward head posture
get their thoracic spines treated! Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries also encourages
our [[targeltocation]] chiropractic care patients with forward head carriage to do
their part, too, by doing the stabilization and
other suggested exercises!
SIMPLE TIPS FOR FORWARD NECK POSTURE CORRECTION
A few simple things help a lot. Align your computer screen level with your eye level. Stretch frequently while performing inactive work (computer, desk, TV). Intentionally
adjust your standing posture so you are upright.
Lean against a wall with your shoulders, head, hips all touching the wall. Listen and vigilantly do
any neck strengthening exercises your Manchester chiropractor suggests.
Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries will make sure the exercises are simple
so our Manchester chiropractic patients will do them!
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
Listen to this PODCAST
of a neck and arm pain patient helped with cervical spine Cox®
Technic treatment!
Schedule a Manchester chiropractic visit at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
for your forward head carriage or forward head posture. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries supposes
that you have already helped yourself after reading this article!
Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries guesses that you stretched your head up, relaxed
your shoulders down, and tucked your chin back the moment you
read the first paragraph. The first step of change is noticing
that it is needed!
