If you are wondering how to fix forward head posture fast then, you need to first understand what this condition really is.
Well, forward head posture is a body posture that forces the neck to be positioned in an awkward fashion.
In simple words, forward head posture causes your neck to lose its natural alignment with the spinal column. The neck (along with the forward portion of your shoulders) slouches forward.
This leads to shortening of the neck muscles and causes unwanted pain in the adjoining muscle/joints/tissues.
In this article, I shall cover the causes, implications and the most commonly used forward head posture fix methods.
1. What is Forward Head Posture?
2. What are the Main Forward Head Posture Symptoms?
3. Is Forward Head Posture Correctable?
4. What are the Main Side Effects of Forward Neck Posture on Your Body?
5. Forward Head Posture Fix – My Top 3 Methods
6. Fix Neck Posture – My Conclusive Analysis
When your head is positioned in sync or slightly behind the body’s vertical line, it is termed as a “perfect” neck posture or head posture. Basically, your ears are in line with your shoulders.
On the other hand, when your ears are in front of the vertical middle line of your body and your head is protruding forward then, it is a considered to be a bad head posture.
This is also termed as forward head posture.
@ Forward head posture hyperextends your upper cervical vertebrae.
@ It basically pushes your cervical vertebrae forward.
@ The forward portion of your shoulders are slouched and your upper back tends to get rounded.
@ Forward neck posture compresses your cervical vertebrae. It also shortens the muscles located onto your upper back and neck. This causes unwanted pain in that area.
@ Finally, forward head posture causes Thoracic Kyphosis. This leads to increased muscles pain in the neck muscles and the joints.
Even before trying to find how to fix forward head posture fast, you need to first learn to judge whether you do suffer from forward head posture or not.
Well, here are a few tell-tale signs of the same:
@ The most common symptom is pain at the back of the neck. It feels as though a spot right behind the throat is in constant pain.
@ The muscles of the neck and the trapezes tend to feel tight. You also experience pain and discomfort while shifting your neck from side to side.
@ Bending your neck backwards often leads to a loud creaking sound. This action also sends a shooting pain all the way down to your upper back and even the rib cage.
@ Some people who suffer from bad neck posture tend to experience pain in their chest.
@ Some also experience sharp pain on the hands and feet. The feeling is similar to someone pricking needles on the skin.
Now coming to the big question.
Can forward head posture be fixed?
Well, the answer is – yes, bad neck posture can be fixed.
You can use neck posture brace, neck posture corrector, perform forward head posture stretches and much more to achieve nerd neck fix.
Most people who suffer from “nerd neck” or “nerd necking” tend to be glued to the computer screen for hours. So, people who suffer from stiff neck owing to bad posture are also termed as “scholar’s neck”.
Exercises to correct forward head posture are popular. Nonetheless, the ones you see on YouTube for free, never really work in real life. You need to learn the correct way to perform these exercises.
So, in order to fix neck posture, you need to learn the correct exercises. You also need to learn the correct way to perform these exercises.
It is all owing to the lack of physical exercises and the rising popularity of media devises which leads to a nerd neck. When you suffer from nerd neck, you tend to complicate both your physical and mental health.
Here are a few side effects of having a text neck:
@ Vulture neck tends to place a lot of unwanted pressure on the tissues surrounding your neck.
@ The ligaments and facet joints of the neck area are the most affected. Basically, the tissues of your cervical spine tend to take the impact of your improper neck posture.
@ As time progresses, forward neck leads to musculoskeletal disorders, headaches, pain in the neck and lower back area.
@ Your neck hump disables your body’s static balance. Moreover, the muscles of your respiratory tract get weaker because of your dowager’s hump.
@ Forward neck posture tends to alter scapular kinematics thereby placing undue burden on your shoulders. This causes nagging pain on your shoulder area.
@ With time, Scholar’s neck leads to weakening and stretching of the posterior cervical muscles. You then begin to wonder, “how to fix fhp?”
@ Jaw pain is a side effect of nerd neck.
@ Forward neck posture also leads to herniated disc owing to the weakening of joints, muscles and connective tissues.
@ Finally, the nagging buffalo hump tends to slow down the natural movement of your neck. This in turn leads to slow reflexes.
Commonly known as vulture neck posture or crane neck posture, it is important to learn how to fix nerd neck.
Here are the top 3 methods I have used successfully in combating my poor neck posture:
What I learned was that when my neck is slouched to a 45 degree angle, the weight added to my spine is close to 50 pounds.
Ironically, if I position my neck properly with my ears aligned with my shoulders then, the weight added to my spinal column is only around 10 pounds.
So, by simply forcing my neck back and aligning my ears to my shoulders, I am releasing 40 pounds of loaded stress off my spine (vulture neck human).
So, apart from forcing my neck back, I also did the following:
@ I stopped slouching while working in front of my computer screen or scrolling my cellphone.
@ I made sure that I placed the screen of my cellphone at eye-length, rather than onto my lap (as most people do). This automatically stopped me from having a nerd neck.
@ I quit doing chores that forced me to slouch forward – a classic example is sewing.
@ I stopped reading a book while lying in the bed.
@ I started to make use of a memory foam pillow, so as to offer optimal support to my neck while sleeping.
@ Finally, I indulged in physical exercises five times a week. This included three days of light weight training.
I have understood (after suffering from forward neck) that having an upright body posture is a boon. The right body posture helped me stretch, walk, jump, run and lift objects with complete ease.
So, first I needed to correct the way I walk, sit on a chair, jog and even talk to others. I performed all these activities keeping my head aligned to my shoulders. Then, I did some basic exercises to fix my turtle neck.
@ I always found a chair that was supposed to compliment the table. Simply put, I invested in an expensive computer chair as I worked long hours in front on my computer.
@ A good chair helped me remain upright. I also placed both feet firmly onto the ground.
@ I positioned the keyboard onto the table in such a manner that it did not strain my wrist and shoulders.
@ The computer screen was always onto my eye level.
Here is how I perform this exercise:
@ I stand just about anywhere I please. I make sure that I maintain an upright posture.
@ I then tuck my chin towards my chest. This is a gentle action and while doing so, I do not compromise on my upright body posture.
@ When I have made a double chin, I go to the next step – the 5 second pause.
@ I simply shift the back portion of my head from the base of my neck. When I have achieved this, I pause for 5 seconds in this position.
@ During this pause, I tend to take 5 deep breaths as well. Each breath is of 1 second in duration.
@ I then allow my chin to go back to its normal position. The stretch I feel on the neck and shoulder muscles is super-relaxing indeed.
@ I perform 10 repetitions of this exercise – 5 times a day.
While the most common reason for your bad neck posture is media devises, your turtle neck tends to get worse owing to your lack of awareness.
In order to learn how to fix nerd neck, you need to first understand why it happens in the first place.
After learning the main causes behind your forward neck posture, you need to start learning how to fix forward head posture fast.
Making certain lifestyle changes, exercising regularly, consuming a nutrient dense diet and avoiding prolonged exposure to media devises is important.
Always remember – a pain free neck leads to a stress free life.
References: