The neck plays a crucial role in supporting and maintaining the proper alignment of our head. While it may be easy to take its functionality for granted, a healthy neck is vital for overall well-being and plays a significant role in our daily lives. One of its function is to balance your head over the torso. If you are struggling to keep your head up then read on.

Think about it – every time you lift your head to look ahead, turn to check your surroundings, or even nod in agreement, your neck is hard at work, providing stability and mobility. Without the neck’s support, simple tasks such as standing upright and maintaining proper posture would be nearly impossible.

Neck Range of Motion

The neck consists of a series of facet joints that connect each segment, allowing for a wide range of movements. You have used necks rotation when merging into traffic, with quick head turns for maintaining awareness of road.

Beyond rotation, the neck is highly mobile in other dimensions of movement. Our bodies are built with a capacity to tilt our head from side to side, as well as flex it forward and extend it backward. These movements facilitate various activities in our daily lives.

Tech Neck and The Struggle

The extensive use of mobile phones, tablets, and electronic devices can often result in a modern-day neck instability known as “tech neck.” There are many symptoms and implications of this condition and serves as a reminder that technology can indeed be a literal pain in the neck.

With this condition becoming more common, it is important to recognize the symptoms associated with this condition. Here are some common symptoms of tech neck I commonly see in my clients:

Chronic Pain:

People experiencing tech neck often report aching sensations in the lower neck, shoulders, and upper back. This discomfort can be persistent and may increase in severity as the condition progresses.

Pain on Lifting the Head:

In some cases, tech neck can cause intense, pain in the deep cervical flexors when people try to lift their head up while lying on the floor. This sharp pain can be debilitating and may limit movement in the affected area.

Headaches:

One of the common symptoms of tech neck is the onset of headaches. These headaches can vary in intensity and may be correlated with tension and strain in the neck and upper back.

Stiffness:

The neck, upper back, and shoulders may feel stiff and limited in their range of motion with tech neck. This reduced mobility can further contribute to discomfort and frustration.

Jaw Pain:

Misalignment of the cervical spine, commonly associated with tech neck, can lead to jaw pain. This can manifest as temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

Numbness:

Tech neck can cause irritation and inflammation of the spinal nerves, leading to tingling and numbness in the arms and fingers.

The Weight of Your Head

In today’s technological age, most people are carrying extra weight on their shoulders. This load is due to the heavy head we carry over our spine. The human head weighs close to 11 lbs, close to the size of a bowling ball, which is approximately 8% of the body mass.

Human brains are larger than other primate brains. On the one hand, that gives us extraordinary brainpower. On the other hand, it causes headaches, jaw pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain in a slouched posture.

Seven vertebrae and twenty muscles in our neck support our head. In a neutral position, our head exerts force straight down the spine, and the 11 lbs. load is balanced evenly over the spine -4. The problem occurs when we tilt our heads forward. The downward force on the spine increases to 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees, and 60 pounds at 60 degrees.

Looking at it another way, every inch our head jots forward it adds 10 pounds of weight to our spine.

When we constantly lean our head forward, it puts a lot of strain on the ligaments in our neck that support the bones and our head, which is heavier than we may realize. This position not only leads to instability in our spine over time, but it also causes an imbalance in the muscles of our neck, back, and shoulders. With time, the deep neck muscles that help us maintain good posture and stability weaken, making it harder for us to support the weight of our head.

Find Immediate Relief

A lot of times my clients can’t support their head in a supine or anti-gravity position while doing exercise or foam rolling. The ability to move within a proper range is dependent on limitations in the range of motion because to the soft tissue weakness.

If you experience this limitation place a rolled towel or a round pillow under your neck to support the muscles of cervical spine. If that doesn’t help either, then try to perform exercises in a seated position and facedown like prone neck extensions.

Strengthen Your Cervical Spine While Sleeping

We spend a significant amount of our life sleeping, and one simple way to improve the alignment of our cervical spine is by using an appropriate pillow. A good pillow should offer support to both our neck and shoulders. I suggest using a crescent-shaped pillow like the cozy sleeper adjustable pillow. This provides comfort and helps relieve pain.

Exercises To Keep Your Head Up

While it may not be possible to entirely avoid looking down at your phone, there are exercises that can alleviate some of the strain on your neck and back.

Neck Mobility Exercise

Sit upright on a chair or stand comfortably with your shoulders relaxed.

Move your head through a comfortable, pain free range.

Look down

Look up towards the ceiling bending your neck backwards

Rotate your head to the right and left

Tilt your head to the right and left

Chin Retraction

Stand against a wall with feet hip distance apart, or if you have a chair with a backrest, you can stay seated.

Tuck your chin slightly down with two fingers and push your head back until it meets the wall or backrest.

Hold for 5 seconds before resting and repeat five times.

Slowly build up to ten repetitions.

Neck Stretch

Seated or standing at the desk, look up and over your shoulder.

Hold for ten seconds.

Repeat on the other side.

Perform three repetitions on each side.

Upper Back Stretch

Place one hand on the side of your head and gently tilt your head toward the shoulder on the same side.

Line your ears up with your shoulders like a chin tuck.

Press your head down till you can feel a good stretch going down the back of your neck.

Place your other hand behind your back.

Neck Extension

Lie face down on a yoga mat with your elbow stacked under your shoulders and forearms resting on the mat.

Lift your head off the mat and push the head as far back as your body allows.

Feel the weight of your head strengthen your neck muscles.

Hold twenty seconds and repeat 3-4 times.

Bottom Line

Like any other part of our body, the neck requires care and attention. Poor posture, lack of exercise, and stress can all negatively impact the health of our neck, leading to discomfort, pain, and even more severe conditions.

So, the next time you find yourself bending your neck forward to look down at your smartphone, or hunching over your desk for extended periods, remember the importance of maintaining a healthy neck. Engaging in exercises that promote neck strength, practicing good posture, and being mindful of ergonomics can go a long way in supporting this vital part of your body. By taking these steps can continue to appreciate the remarkable role they play in supporting our head and keeping us upright and balanced in our day-to-day activities.

The post Struggling to Keep Your Head Up? Understanding Neck Issues and How to Find Relief 5 (3) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.

It’s without a doubt an important part of our physical and mental health but a lot of times we don’t know how to adopt a good posture. As soon as I walk into a room to present a workshop and introduce myself as a posture specialist, people suck their bellies in, throw back their shoulders, and become rigid. This type of posture can lead to fatigue and isn’t sustainable.

There are numerous myths and misconceptions surrounding posture. To understand proper posture, it is necessary to debunk these myths and misconceptions. Let’s dive into top five posture myths my clients often believe.

Posture Myths

Sit and Stand as Straight as Possible

Proper posture doesn’t mean mimicking a soldier’s stance. This rigid posture can lead to muscle tension and fatigue overtime. Our spine is not rigid and straight. It has three distinctive curves, the inward cervical curve, the outward thoracic curve, and the inward lumbar curve.

It’s important to recognize that a proper posture should support these natural curves of our spine.

We all have unique bodies, with wide or narrow hips and flexible or tight muscles. Proper posture is the natural alignment, which is different for different individuals. There are some general guidelines to follow like head aligned over the spine, shoulders soft, and aligned over hips but they don’t look the same for everyone. When it comes to adopting proper posture, comfort and individuality is key.

Holding Still is Key

Many people believe, forcing our body to stay in one position, which is considered an ideal position, will, over time, improve their posture. Honestly, reverse is true.

The main reason for muscle imbalances is holding our bodies in the hunched over deskbound posture for a long period of time. Whenever a client complains of pain in a certain region, it’s because they are holding a certain stance for extended period without moving.

Our bodies are built to move. To find your natural posture and avoid imbalances we need to move often. It might be taking more frequent bathroom breaks, switching position from seated to standing, and going for short leisurely walks. Our body and spine crave motion, which leads to proper posture.

Standing Desk Will be The Fix it All

Standing desks are a great way to improve posture but they are not a fix it all. It’s best to change your positions often. That means taking a break from standing as well.

I see many clients who have standing desks but have no relief of back, neck or shoulder pain.

I’m a big proponent of standing desks as they allow breaking your work hours between sitting and standing. But standing all day can lead to muscle tension and posture dysfunction if done for a long time. Standing in one position can lead to plantar fasciitis, vascular issues, and pelvic shift on your dominant side to name a few issues.

The key lies in switching positions from time to time.

My Bad Posture Is Genetic

There are genetic posture issues, but they are not as common as we’d like to believe. Having a genetic posture anomaly doesn’t mean that you can’t work on it.

Did you know that Usain bolt has scoliosis? Scoliosis is a genetic disorder which causes an abnormal sideways curve of the spine. Scoliosis most often limits people’s life with the only hope that a spinal surgery would cure it. It didn’t limit Bolt. He used the knowledge of his condition as a power. He says he keeps his core and back strong, the scoliosis doesn’t really bother him.

If the fastest man on earth with a genetic postural anomaly can break world records by making changes in his life, then so can you. There are many exercises that can be done to make having good posture easier. Once you are fix your muscle imbalances and good posture will become an easy habit to adopt for you.

Posture Dysfunction Can be Fixed Overnight

Posture isn’t something that we develop in a short period of time. Instead, the posture we hold today was developed gradually overtime due to our work habits and emotional state.

Finding your natural posture takes time. Although it’s tempting to believe in quick fixes, like wearing a back brace but that’s not true. Reverting to your natural posture requires correct assessment, care, and consistent action.

We need to unlearn the old neural patterns and develop new ones for our muscles and ligaments to adopt the new position. This can be accomplished by exercises, stretches, and lifestyle adjustments. Checkout my fifteen minutes a day posture program in my book Unhunched: Discover Wellness Through Posture.

Bottom Line

While it’s not uncommon for these myths to be believed by many, it’s important to note that most of them are simply exaggerations of the truth. The key takeaway here is that your posture should ultimately feel comfortable, rather than strained and rigid. If you’ve tried to improve your posture but continue to experience discomfort or pain, it may be beneficial to seek guidance from a skilled movement specialist who can provide personalized assistance.

The post Posture Myths Busted: Revealing the Truth! 0 (0) first appeared on Tone & Strengthen.