How to fix forward head posture – Modern life brings with it many modern complications, especially when it comes to our health and fitness.

 

 

One of the biggest factors in determining physical health is postural alignment.

 

Postural alignment supports a lot of aspects of our health, more than many people would consider it.

 

First off, posture optimizes the way we move and function mechanically.

 

Our biomechanical efficiency determines our quality of life, level of independence, safety from injury and usefulness to others.

 

Our spinal alignment is the foundation of good biomechanics of your muscles and skeleton.

 

Another important factor is organ placement.

 

 

That’s because your posture determines the shape of your body and thus the position of your organs as well as the alignment of vital networks such as your circulatory system and nervous system.

 

Throughout the history of human physiology, we’ve seen many different postural deviations. Scoliosis or lateral curvature of the spine, lordosis, or extreme inward curvature of the spine and kyphosis, or extreme outward curvature of the spine.

 

We also see different pelvic tilt deviations and the familiar “hunch back” forward head posture.

 

The interesting thing is, forward head posture has seen an increase in prevalence over the last couple of decades, and it’s becoming a major problem.

 

Excessive forward head tilt puts tremendous pressure on the cervical spine or neck bones.

 

Pain in the neck and back as well as breathing difficulty (since your breathing nerves come through from the neck) are all symptoms of excess forward head tilt.

 

But why is it so common today?

 

 

The Scourge of the Tech Nech

One glaring feature in modern human behavior is our use of smartphones.

 

 

Staring at a screen all day is one thing, but the physiological impact it has on us is another.

 

In order to effectively use our smartphones and screen devices, we have to lower our line of vision by tilting our heads down and forward.

 

By doing so we create the conditions for forwarding head tilt, a postural deviation with negative impacts.

 

In this article we’re going to look at some exercises you can implement to fix forward head posture.

 

 

5 Forward Head Posture Exercises To Fix Your Tech Neck

 

Release Neck Muscles

 

Forward head posture is exacerbated by the imbalance of the muscles that control neck alignment.

 

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The muscles of the front of the neck tend to tighten and shorten, while the muscles in the back of the neck, such as the rhomboids and the ones surrounding the scapular tend to lengthen and weaken.

 

How to fix forward head posture, the first step to curbing the tech neck is to release these front muscles such as the sternocleidomastoid and back muscles such as spleneis capatis.

 

You can do this by stretching or massaging them yourself, or with the assistance of a qualified massage or physiotherapist.

 

Releasing these muscles will lay the groundwork for reconditioning your neck posture.

 

 

Strengthen Extensors and Rhomboids

 

The next phase is to strengthen your upper back.

 

 

The upper back and rear neck muscles are especially weak when forward head posture becomes prominent.

 

Back exercises that strengthen the rhomboids and upper back are essential.

 

Seated rows, face pulls, dumbbell rows and bent-over rows are all examples of upper back strengtheners for enhanced neck posture.

 

 

Optimize your Work Station

 

Another essential fix in the quest to eliminate forward head posture is workspace ergonomics.

 

 

Ergonomics simply means the efficiency and effectiveness of engineered structures or equipment for safe and sustainable use.

 

Basically a fancy way of saying how health-friendly and user-friendly the stuff we use is.

 

When it comes to posture, ergonomics will be centered on how we sit. How to fix forward head posture since most people spend most of their time sitting, it is important to get a seating system that encourages correct posture.

 

A chair that discourages slouching and assists the natural curvature of the spine is one consideration.

 

Another is making sure your work monitor is at eye level in order to avoid peering down, thus making your head tilt worse.

 

 

Sleep Quality Is Key

 

The way you sleep is also going to influence your neck posture.

 

 

Try and find a mattress that is medium in firmness. For most people, medium-firm mattresses will take care of any poor posture problems.

 

The next thing to consider is your use of pillows.

 

Many people sleep by resting their entire shoulder girdle on the pillow.

 

This creates a lateral curve in the spine for side sleepers, and for back sleepers, forward head tilt.

 

Set up your pillow so that only your head is resting on it. Make sure the height of the pillow is more or less equivalent to the space between your shoulders and your head.

 

 

Be Mindful Of Your Posture

 

The last important thing you can do to limit the tech neck is to always be actively conscious about the issue.

 

 

Being able to exercise mindful understanding of your poor posture and why it is important to fix it will allow you to fix it through the day during moments when you may forget and slip up.

 

Having this mindful approach allows you to build a habit of constantly correcting your posture.

 

Over time, this will become second nature and you won’t even need to think about your improved posture.

 

And while there are many posture correcting tools and techniques out there, your mind and intention are the most useful.

 

 

Conclusion

Correcting a forward head tilt is more important today than ever before, how to fix forward head posture and that’s because more people suffer from it and its presence is more severe than ever witnessed.

 

Fixing this won’t only improve your physiological health, it will also help you improve.