05/11/2022
I received this in my last class and I’m FINALLY getting around to reading this article. I see many people with forward heads and just two inches your head almost becomes triple the weight. Do you have neck pain? Can you see why your neck would hurt?! Your spine becomes like the Leaning Tower of Pisa!
Rene Cailliet M.D. found that:
🧨Head in forward posture can add up to thirty pounds of abnormal leverage on the cervical spine. This can pull the entire spine out alignment.
🧨forward head posture (FHP) May result in the loss of 30% of vita long capacity. These breath-related deficits happen because muscles on the front neck that lift the ribs during inhalation become to weak to work effectively. Proper rib lifting action is essential for complete aeration of the lungs.
🧨The entire gastrointestinal system (particularly the large intestine) may become agitated from FHP resulting in sluggish function and evacuation.
She goes on to say that correcting the postures affected (spine, shoulders, and pelvis) are important BUT what is more important is to work on the FHP because “the body follows the head.”
O man, I will try to find this article because it is dynamite and I will put it in the comments. But Upper Crossed Syndrome is where there is FHP present, inhibited neck flexors, tight upper trapezius and levator scapula, tight pectorals, and inhibited rhomboids and serrated anterior. The common symptoms that come from this:
💣headaches
💣mouth breathing (sleep apnea)
💣difficulty swallowing
💣teeth clenching
💣face and neck pain
💣migraine headaches
💣uncoordinated movement and loss of body balance
So all of this may seem discouraging. However!!!!!! I am going to be working on myself for a bit trying different exercises (because yes I too have the dreaded FHP).
I will leave you with this one thing I do that has helped:
I use two tennis balls right where my shoulders meet the neck and I move my hands back and forth or I follow where it’s leading me. Then I move the tennis balls down a bit and move my arms. I do this until I reach my mid back. I DO NOT do the lumbar spine. But this only is half of FHP dysfunction. I am going to work on the front of the neck exercises that help!
