| If you experience headaches and pain in the back | | | | (suboccipitals) and back of the neck (cervical |
| of the head, neck, and/or shoulders, one of the | | | | extensors) become chronically stiff. |
| first questions you may ask is - "Is it my | | | | What Can be Done to Fix the Pain? |
| posture?" As many of us spend our days sitting in | | | | The first thing to consider is arranging your daily |
| cubicles working at computers, it is only natural to | | | | work space to be as ergonomically correct as |
| wonder if this could be the cause of one's pain. | | | | possible. There is no point to spending fifteen |
| Poor posture, specifically "forward head posture", | | | | minutes per day doing special exercises and |
| can indeed possibly be the cause of chronic pain, | | | | stretches if you go on to spend hours reinforcing |
| tightness, and tension headaches. | | | | your same bad posture. Look for special lumbar |
| Identifying Forward Carrying Head Posture | | | | pillows to place in your work chair as this can |
| The best way to analyze your posture is to have | | | | make sitting correctly much easier. Also make |
| a friend take a picture of you standing normally in | | | | sure that your chair, monitor, and keyboard are |
| profile. If this is not possible, try standing in profile | | | | at the correct height for your body. This should |
| in front of a mirror and use a smaller hand mirror | | | | reduce your need to extend your neck forward. |
| to view your posture from the side. What do you | | | | The best exercises to relieve pain from forward |
| see? Are your ears directly over your shoulders? | | | | head posture include chin retractions, 45 degree |
| Or is your head jutted forward like a turtle? Can | | | | neck stretch, and lateral neck stretch. Also |
| you easily turn your head all the way to right and | | | | strengthening the muscles of the back by doing |
| left? Can you allow your head to fall forward until | | | | rows either with hand weights or resistance can |
| your chin hits your chest? Without pain? If any of | | | | be especially helpful. Descriptions of all the |
| the above sounds like you, posture problems | | | | exercises above can easily be found by searching |
| could be contributing to your head and neck pain. | | | | youtube as it is always best to see exercises |
| Why Does it Hurt? | | | | demonstrated in person if at all possible. |
| The spine is designed to bear a lot of the weight | | | | If you are not able to resolve your head and |
| of the head through a natural spinal curvature. If | | | | neck pain on your own, the next step is to |
| this delicate balance is thrown out of alignment, | | | | consider seeing a professional. Physical therapists |
| then other muscles will be forced to bear more | | | | and massage practitioners can be especially helpful |
| weight of your body than normal. This will cause | | | | at loosening chronically tight muscles. Do not |
| certain muscles to become tight and stiff and | | | | expect to see immediate results. Fixing chronic |
| others will become stretched and weak in | | | | posture problems can take a lot of time and |
| compensation. In the case of forward carrying | | | | effort. |
| head posture the muscles at the back of the skull | | | | |