Posted on July 15, 2016 by Kate Halsall
With the end of our Fitness Week at our Saxton Personal Training studio drawing to a close, I wanted to share some of the most common postural “problems” or questions that I was asked. So here is part 1 of our posture advice series.
The fact that so many people displayed the forward head posture or asked about how to deal with it, made it obvious that it is becoming an increasingly big issue for people. So whilst ultimately this will be a series of blogs on posture help, here in part 1 we look at forward head.
What is Forward Head Posture?
“Correct” posture should see your ear lobes in line with the middle of your shoulders. If those earlobes are not in line and therefore your head is in front of your shoulders, we call this forward head posture.
What Causes It?
Except in spinal structural problems, forward head is most commonly the result of muscle imbalances. This muscle imbalances are attributed more recently to repetitive activity which affects our upper body posture: computers, laptops and other mobile devices, slumping/slouching, even reading in bed!
Why Is It Bad For You?
- By definition your head is forward from the midline of your body – as such it shifts your centre of gravity.
- The weight of your head will increase the more forward it becomes – putting additional pressure onto the spine
- Your body will change shape to support this – putting pressure on your neck and on both your upper and lower back
- Your range of movement may suffer as a result – specifically in the neck and shoulders
How Can You Fix It?
There are a multitude on how to help fix this problem – biomechanical screens & releases, weight training programmes, massage and other forms of manual manipulation, and stretches. To be honest, as long as you know what you’re doing, anything will help! But the simplest thing to do is neck retraction:
- How to do Chin Tucks :
Keep your head straight on during the movement, slowly draw the head back creating double chins all round! Try not to look down, hold for a couple of seconds and then release. Repeat
I hope this helps – or at least reassure you that if you have a forward head posture you’re not alone. If you have any questions about your posture get in touch!