If your neck slants forward, and your head pokes in front of your shoulders instead of resting directly above them, you likely have what is called forward head posture.
Forward head posture, now also known as “nerd neck”, occurs when your neck slants forward, placing your head in front of your shoulders. It's caused by bad habits, such as spending long periods sitting at your computer or looking down at your cellphone.
Forward head posture (FHP) is a poor habitual neck posture. It often co-exists with Upper Crossed Syndrome. Defined by hyperextension of the upper cervical vertebrae and forward translation of the cervical vertebrae.
Chiropractors are specially trained to understand the biomechanics of body structure and function and how these are affected by posture. If we detect forward head posture, we can adjust the cervical spine using precise, controlled movements or instruments to help bring you back into alignment.
Improvements in forward head posture typically do not happen overnight. It takes a long-term commitment to exercises, stretches, and consistently using good posture over the course of several weeks or months before significant benefits may be observed.
Sleeping without a pillow may help some people who sleep on their front. It can help keep the spine and the neck in alignment during sleep, easing neck and back pain. It is not a good idea for everyone, though. People who sleep on their back or side might find that sleeping without a pillow causes neck or back pain.
The way you sleep is absolutely critical to combating dowager's hump. Your objective here is to gradually straighten your spine by removing or adding support. Back sleepers: For you, the goal is to remove support until your head aligns with your spine. If you use multiple pillows, work your way down to one pillow.
Weak and lengthened muscles in Forward head posture and rounded shoulders are deep neck flexors which include longus capitis and longus coli and weak scapular stabilizers and retractors which include Rhomboids and middle, lower trapezius, Teres Minor and Infraspinatus.
In addition to neck pain, if poor posture is habitually sustained during these or other daily activities, it may also lead to muscle and spinal remodeling which can eventually result in permanent FHP (Dimitriadis, 2015).
Neutral Head and Neck Position
Your chin should be level and, generally, the gaze of your eyes should be forward. There should be no tension in the muscles around your neck, and your neck should hold its neutral position with a gentle anterior curve, called a lordosis.
Move your neck from left to right to see if you have any limits to the mobility of the cervical spine. If you have pain when you turn your neck in one direction, or if you can't turn the head as far to one side as you can to the other, your cervical spine probably isn't aligned.
You should only work with a qualified practitioner for managing your forward head posture. Examples are a physiatrist physician, a physical therapist, or an athletic trainer with experience and advanced education in posture and neck issues.
Neck misalignment, also known as upper cervical misalignment, occurs when one of the vertebrae in your neck turns or shifts out of place. When this happens, your neck hurts because your vertebra grinds up against other parts of your spine every time you move.
Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
Below is a breakdown of the four most basic sleeping positions. The Overall Best: On your back. Sleeping on your back evenly distributes weight throughout your body and avoids unnatural or unnecessary curves in the spine. Use a small pillow underneath the head and neck (not shoulders) to keep everything in alignment.
Visiting your chiropractor is the best way to realignment your neck towards perfection. A corrective care chiropractor can not only return your cervical curve to the ideal position, but also help keep it in place with postural exercises and thoughtful lifelong care.
Between 160 to 180 degrees; i.e. you should be able to rotate your neck to the right and to the left, so that your nose is in line with your shoulder (or near enough).
Your neck should remain at a 90 degree angle from the line of your shoulder (as depicted above).
Forward head posture negatively affects cervical sensorimotor control. Forward head posture negatively affects the autonomic nervous system. There is strong correlation between the CVA (forward head posture) and cervical sensorimotor outcomes.