Tuesday Tip - Forward Head Posture

You’d be hard pressed to find anyone these days that doesn't suffer from forward head posture. Our heads are already pretty heavy things (about 4.5- 5kg), and we double that load on our spine for every 2.5cm forward it sits. That’s a lot of extra work our neck, mid and lower back has to deal with. Expect to suffer from chronically tight shoulders, achy upper back and nasty headaches.

There are many things we can to do correct forward head posture and your therapist will cover what is appropriate for you. One of my favourite & most effective exercises to prescribe is chin tucks. These should be done against a flat surface (like your bed or the wall). Keeping your head in contact with the surface, imagine a piece of string at the back of your head gently pulling it away from your torso. It should feel like you are giving yourself a double chin. Repeat about 5-6 times with continuous movement. 

This helps retrain good joint movement, increase fluid to the compromised discs and stretch out tight muscles.