Your head is a lot like a bowling ball. It‘s big, it‘s heavy, and it‘s always putting pressure on your spine. That‘s why it‘s so important to have good posture and to take care of your back.
There is a connection between the back of your skull (occiput) and the first bone in your neck (atlas).
If you have a problem in the upper part of your neck, it can cause insomnia, dizziness, or even POTS (a condition where you get dizzy and have to lie down when you stand up). A lot of stiffness and constant tension in the upper neck can also be a problem.
There could be several reasons why you’re suffering from neck pain. It could have been an accident you had in the past or the just as simple as sitting at your desk for 10 hours a day. With the weight of you head on your spine it can easily be understood why the forward posture starts to occur.
There are three things that I’d suggest you try to help improve your posture.
Step 1: Stretching to Correct Forward Head Posture
If the head goes forward, the muscles on the front part of your neck and the upper chest are pulling you forward. This is because we always have this balance between the front part of the muscles and the back part.
If the neck is going forward, you would think we just have to stretch it backwards, but that‘s not how these muscles work.
A better solution for stretching the back muscles would be to stretch them by doing the Jefferson curl. By doing this, you are sending a communication to the front part of the muscles, telling them to relax. The communication between muscles is to relax, so that when you stretch one muscle, the opposing muscle will automatically relax. This allows for relaxed signals to be sent to the front part of the body.
The Jefferson curl is a stretch that can be used to help improve flexibility in the shoulders and upper back. To do the Jefferson curl, start by standing with your feet shoulder–width apart and your arms at your sides. Then, bend forward at the waist and let your arms hang down toward the ground. Next, slowly curl your back up toward the ceiling, leading with your chin. Hold this position for a few seconds, and then slowly lower your back down to the starting position.
This exercise is going to stretch the entire posterior or back part of your spine and neck, sending signals to the front part. This will allow all the muscles on the front part to be really loose.
Step 2: Cervical Traction to Correct Forward Head Posture
I‘m going to recommend cervical traction as a way to relieve neck pain and improve posture. You can purchase a traction device online for around $100. This will give you relief from your neck pain and help you improve your posture.
Cervical traction creates a separation between your occiput and your C1 vertebra, which is held together by strong ligaments. By applying pressure to your neck, you can create a tractioning effect that helps relieve tension and pain.
A cervical traction device can help to reverse the damage caused by an injury over time. I would recommend using it for about 5–10 minutes at the end of the day, before bed.
Step 3: Neck Strengthening to Correct Forward Head Posture
There are many different neck strengthening exercises that you can do. On all fours, you can do extension type exercises. On your back, you can do flexion type exercises. These exercises will help to strengthen your neck muscles.
Conclusion
If you spend a lot of time hunched over a computer, you can start to lose the natural curve in your neck. This can cause microtrauma. To prevent this, you need to do exercises that work the neck and shoulder muscles.
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