If you wish to know which 8 nerves in my body were damaged by my forward head posture then, do spend 5 minutes reading this article.
If you fail to understand the complications involved in maintaining a bad neck posture then, you would never want to fix it. People are forever blaming our unhealthy lifestyle for our forward neck.
While I do agree that the current laptop & cellphone based lifestyle is to blame, the ignorance on our parts to address this issue, is a far more serious an issue.
If you continue to live with a nerd neck posture then, the physical and mental complications that this “seemingly trivial issue” gives you are unfathomable in nature.
One such issue is nerve damage. Let me discuss this in detail:
Which 8 Nerves in My Body were Damaged by My Forward Head Posture – The Contents:
1) What is My Cervical Spine Made Of?
2) How did I Get a Forward Neck?
3) The 8 Nerves Damaged by My Bad Neck Posture
4) What did I Do to Fix Them?
5) Takeaway
What is My Cervical Spine Made Of?
Even before I start to discuss the eight nerves that were damaged by my bad neck posture, it is important to first understand what your cervical spine is all about.
So, what is a cervical spine?
The part of your neck that supports your head and connects it to your brain and the remaining spinal column is termed as your cervical spine. In my cervical spine (just like in your case), there are 7 bones in total.
These bones are placed one above the other and are termed vertebras. The names of these bones are unique and easy to remember. These are C1 to C7. In simpler words, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 and finally C7.
The Atlas and Axis:
The C1 and C2 vertebras hold the head in place and allow head rotation as well. The C1 vertebrae is termed as the Atlas while C2 is termed Axis. So, the terms themselves reveal their true function – Atlas- holding the head and Axis- pivoting the head from side to side.
C3 to C7 Vertebra:
The C3 vertebra all the way down to the last C7 enables the neck to get its natural curve. Held together by facet joints, these vertebras allow you to shift your head from side to side.
They also stop the head from bending far too much to either the left or the right. This helps stabilize the neck and avoid it from getting snapped owing to a sudden head shift.
The Vertebral Artery:
It is my cervical spine that protects my vertebral artery. This is an artery that supplies blood from the heart and send it to the brain. If this artery is damaged or pinched, I would suffer terrible headaches.
Vertebral artery makes its way onto the cervical column via the C6 vertebrae. It exits from the forearm of the C1 vertebrae before making its way into the brain.
So, it is very critical to maintain the overall health and wellbeing of this artery. If I do not do so, I might as well die easily. This is why maintaining a good neck posture is so very important.
How I Got a Forward Neck?
My forward neck is no mystery. If I am not mistaken then, I believe every second person who does an office job that involves the use of a laptop, would be suffering from a bad neck posture.
Well, at least to some extent!
Even more, anyone who is habitual of using his/her cellphone for anything more than just taking/receiving calls, is liable to suffer from crane neck posture.
So, does that mean almost everyone out there has a forward neck???
I mean, almost everyone has a cellphone these days.
Bad neck posture is a catastrophe in the making and nobody even cares about it.
Whenever I travel in the bart, I see 99% of the passengers simply watching reels on their cell. Their necks are craned forward and their shoulders are hunched.
Why would they NOT get a forward neck???
So, what is My Story?
Well, my vulture neck is no exception to the above rule. Nonetheless, I was quite ok “posture-wise” till I was in school and even college. It was only when I started to work at a large multi-national corporation that I developed bad neck posture.
The main culprit behind my poor neck and head posture was my laptop. Well, I was literally forced to spend a few hours every day on my laptop to complete my official assignments.
I believe it was those long hours that I spend in front of my computer screen craning my neck that caused my cervical spine to alter its natural shape.
The Slow and Steady Progress:
While my nerd neck did not take shape overnight, in a few months, I was already sliding my head a few inches ahead of my natural position. Each inch that my head slid forward, I was adding an additional 10 to 12 pounds of unwanted weight onto my spine.
So, I was literally overburdening my neck and shoulders with unwanted weight. When I last calculated, my head was 2.5 inches ahead of my cervical spine’s natural position.
This means, I was adding 25 to 30 pounds of additional weight onto my cervical spine.
Wow! This was really taking a toll onto my neck, head and the upper back muscles.
It was already quite late when I realized that my crane neck posture had taken a toll on my spinal nerves as well.
Let me discuss this with you in the next sub-heading.
The 8 Nerves Damaged by My Bad Neck Posture
Apart from the muscles and the joints, the nerves also tend to get damaged owing to your forward neck. The cervical spine contains 8 nerves. These travel through the vertebrae and are numbered accordingly. These are C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7 and C8.
Because of my vulture neck posture (popularly known as a nerd neck or forward neck) these 8 nerves were compressed or pinched.
The damage that they received led to headaches, stomach pains and restricted movement of my shoulders and upper back. When the nerves are damage, so are the cervical ligaments that keep my head intact.
Let me walk you through each of these nerves in brief:
The C1 Cervical Nerve:
This nerve is located on the C1 or the Atlas vertebrae. Basically it passes through the Atlas. The function of this nerve is to allow your neck to move backwards as well as forwards.
The C2 Cervical Nerve:
The second nerve that was compressed owing to my nerd neck was the C2. The main function of this nerve is to stimulate the sense organ and permit me to feel any activity on the back of my head.
The C3 Cervical Nerve:
The third nerve that was pinched owing to my bad neck posture is termed as the C3 nerve. It is also a sensory nerve that provides necessary sensations to the back of my head and the side of my face.
The C4 Cervical Nerve:
The next nerve on the list that is present within my cervical cavity is the C4 nerve. This too was partially damaged owing to my forward head posture.
This nerve is controlling my breathing pattern. It helps stimulate the diaphragm muscle in my body. I got to know of its damage when my normal breathing pattern was slightly disrupted.
After a check-up, I realized that my C4 nerve was compressed because of my nerd neck. C4 nerve is also meant to help my shoulder movement – in the forward direction.
Any lack of sensation felt in the shoulder, your neck as well as your upper arm, is a direct resultant of a compressed C4 nerve.
The C5 Cervical Nerve:
This is the fifth of the 8 nerves located in my cervical spinal column. Popularly known as C5, this nerve is responsible for optimal bicep movement.
It also enables my delt muscles to function optimally. The upper portion of my arm right till the tip of my elbow is provided with the required sensation via the aid of the C5 nerve.
The C6 Cervical Nerve:
The next on the list of nerves to be affected adversely by my bad neck posture were the brevis and the extensor carpi radialis. Both these are located on my wrist.
These two muscles are responsible for the way my bicep muscle responds to my commands. The C6 nerve also sends the required sensations to the forearm that is in line with my thumb.
The C7 Cervical Nerve:
Next on the list is the C7 nerve located in my cervical column. It controls the movement of my triceps via the brevis and the extensor carpi radialis muscles located in the wrist.
At the same time, the C7 nerve is also responsible for helping me feel any activity or movement at the back of the arm. So, whenever I shift my long finger, the back of my arm gets the sensation of this movement.
The C8 Cervical Nerve:
The last and final nerve in my cervical spine to be adversely affected by my forward head posture was the C8 nerve. The damage caused me to lose partial sensation in the forearm as well as the hand that faced the pinky side.
What did I Do to Fix Them?
In order to fix the nerves that were either pinched or damaged by my nerd neck, I had to try and make a conscious decision to correct my neck and head posture.
Here are a few ways I tried and it helped to a great extent:
@ First and foremost, I tried to fix the manner in which I sit on my desktop. I keep the computer screen at eye length and avoid bending my head.
@ I have also purchased a new computer chair that is height adjustable in nature. This chair has indeed helped me adjust my neck and head level, with that of the computer screen placed on the computer table.
@ I have also made a conscious effort to avoid watching cellphone for more than 5 minutes in a single go.
@ I also get up from my computer chair every 15 minutes in order to stretch and walk for a minute before resuming work.
@ I also replaced my pillow and mattress. I got a new cervical pillow and a semi-soft mattress. This helps in keeping my body posture in an optimal state.
@ I coined my own weight-plate based exercise routines. These are simple to perform yet need to be explained in detail. These basically strengthened my spinal column.
@ Finally, I made conscious effort to gaze at eye level for every activity that I performed. This helped me get my normal neck and head posture back.
Takeaway
Your forward head posture does not only cause pain and discomfort to your muscles but it also damages your nerves. This is one aspect most of us out there tend to ignore.
The overall health of our nerves is very important.
If your nerves in the cervical area are damaged then, your body co-ordination and functionality is compromised. Moreover, if you ignore this, damaged nerves may lead to further physical and mental complications.
While I do agree that forward head posture fix does take time, you need to start working on your posture today. The earlier you realize the importance of a good posture, the lesser shall be your future worries.
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