If you have ever looked in a mirror only to see that your head is leaning forward, you should know that this is the most common posture and spinal misalignment problem, and the cause of lots of pain and discomfort.
There are many daily activities that make us misalign our necks and heads, for example, reading a book or newspaper, wearing bifocals, talking on the phone, watching TV in bed, working in a computer, and leaning over a desk.
A forward-hanging head causes many serious problems because the head is heavy. An average human head weighs between 10 to 14 pounds. It is supposed to rest over the shoulders, in the body’s gravity center, so when it hangs forward, it is off position, and the muscles in the neck and upper back must do extra work only to hold your head up.
For every half inch forward that you move your head, you put an additional twenty pounds of tension on your muscles, and the chain reaction begins…
-The majority of the work lies on the upper part of the trapezius muscle, which is a diamond-shaped muscle that goes from the base of the skull, down and out to the shoulders, and down to the middle back.
As the head is held forward, the upper traps remain tense to hold the load; with time, they thicken and tighten, to the point that when touched, they feel like cement. The result: neck and upper back rigidity and pain.
-Since the upper traps constantly contract, the nerves that travel between the neck bones, to reach the arms and upper body, are squeezed, causing neck pain, numbness, tingling in arms and hands, or tension headaches.
-The upper traps overdevelop, however, the middle and lower traps weaken because of the lack of work. This disparity causes a lot of discomfort in the upper and middle back.
-With the head forward, when you want to lift your head, you must arch your neck, putting pressure on the neck’s cartilage, disks, and joints. With time, the risk of “wear and tear” arthritis grows, and the unceasing compression diminishes the blood flow to the area, reducing the amount of nutrients and oxygen that reach the tissues.
-This bad posture also contributes to TMJ, temporo-mandibular joint disorder, which produces pain or clicking noises when opening and closing the jaw. With the head forward, gravity pulls on the jaw, and finally the joint does not fit together well.
The good news is that, as soon as you identify this posture problem, it is easy to correct. You just have to pay attention. Slightly, lift the front of the rib cage to straighten the upper back and to position your head closer to the body’s gravity center. Your neck joints will fit together in the right way, and the rigidity will disappear from your upper back and neck muscles.
So, as a conscious practice, during your day, as soon as you remember, align your head back over your shoulders by lifting the front of your rib cage, you can even get a seat support to help you get into the good posture habit, and kiss neck and upper back pain goodbye for good!
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