Your head is heavy! Your neck is narrow and houses some of the most important components like your airway, sustenance highway, your spinal column … I mean WOW your neck is asked to do a lot with such little real estate.
Not taking good care of your neck can result in headaches, an inability to see what is beside you or behind you, it can reduce your ability to breathe deep, speak/communicate and reduce circulation and nerve function to your arms and head.
Neck health is one of the main reasons I love yoga. Because of the immense weight of your head, proper spinal alignment is imperative. Your neck was never designed to hold your head up through muscle strength. Your head is meant to balance on the body and the muscles are there to move the head in nearly every direction.
so…
The image to the left shows you the amount of effort your neck has to put out to hold up your head but it also shows the increased thoracic spine curve (mid/upper back) and the flattening of the lumbar curve (low back) that come with a head forward posture.
Because of the small muscles in your neck and the tenderness and pain that can be caused by misalignment it can be easier and more comfortable to start realignment efforts below the shoulders.
But the spine isn’t the only alignment change or shift that happens with neck issues. This next image shows you the head and shoulder blade position in a head forward misalignment.
Not only does this effect the neck but it also changes the way the arm and shoulder function.
Take a look at the alignment in the upper neck where it connects to the skull.
You can start to see how it’s not just about the spine. Which means that you will have disfunction in more than one area which also means you have more than one way to approach the issue and start the realignment process!
Any time you can approach an issue from more than one angle you get better results faster and more gently. You start making these changes by identifying which muscles are working and which are sleeping/inactive.
Part of the puzzle is how long someone has been using this posture. Because the longer a muscle is inactive the shorter or longer it gets.
https://www.stacydockins.com/posture-lab/2019/2/25/forward-head-position-and-chronic-pain
This next image shows the muscles that are involved in this posture. The muscles in the front of the neck and chest shorten over time and the muscles in the back of the neck are asked to carry the whole load. This makes the muscles in the back of the neck long and stretched out which makes it harder for them to contract.
The last image is of the same area with an effaces on the smaller muscles in the neck. It also shows the direction of force acting on the neck.
There are many solutions the head/neck position and I have worked with people who have repetitive motion issues, work related ergonomic issues and injury from car accidents.
The common elements are discomfort, limited or reduced range of motion and coping habits that reinforce the imbalance.
If you have read some of my other articles you are already familiar with the idea that your body won’t quit when things get tough. Your body will find a way to keep your body working. Even a dramatic misalignment of the cervical spine won’t stop you! Your neck will compensate to keep you going.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUkdvXrhbOG/?epik=dj0yJnU9VjMzZ1BlSmhoS0hxcjEyVHlvQjlySnR5VlVQQk8yLVUmcD0wJm49cE9ZVWIxTmtiLWNOTmRua09EU0tudyZ0PUFBQUFBR0N2dnp3
The nice thing about this flexible and adaptive system is that it can heal even if you have been uncomfortable or misaligned for a long time. You can heal, get better, feel better and experience lasting change and a better quality of life.
In my experience the rate of change is dependent on how much discomfort you are willing to put up with. For some slower change that reduces discomfort and is implemented in small bits is preferable. For others quicker more consistent change will cause temporary “growing pains” but they will get back to a place of intended alignment faster. Sometimes just knowing the goal can start the process toward a healthier neck and back.
No matter which category you find yourself in I think it is helpful by asking yourself, What would you do with your energy, focus and time if you no longer had to deal with headaches, neck and back pain and the loss of sleep do to discomfort? What would a pain free life look life for you?
How much time and effort are you willing to put in now for physical freedom in the near future?
What will you do with the resources you will have when you feel better?
Originally posted 8/9/22