Did you know that bad posture is one of the main causes of all neck and back pain? Well fear not; today we will be teaching you what exactly causes bad posture, and how you can work to improve cervical posture.
Most of the time, bad posture is inherited, but other factors like your environment can have an impact.
Another major cause of bad posture is forward head carriage. This occurs when the head sits forward on the neck, and puts extreme strain on the neck and upper back. Research has shown that each inch of forward head carriage increases neck and back strain by 10 pounds. This means only 5 inches of forward head carriage equals 50 pounds of easily avoidable strain.
Now comes the question: how do you improve cervical posture? Lucky for you, we have the answers.
Stay active:
Staying active reduces the rate of muscle degeneration in anyone. Exercise regularly and eat a well balanced diet to keep a normal BMI or body mass index.
Chin Tuck Exercise:
- This exercise will help you to improve forward head carriage, which will lead to overall improved cervical posture.
- Pull your chin in towards your face making a double chin.
- You will notice that if you talk, your voice will sound nasally.
- Begin talking, and at the same time, start releasing the tuck.
- When you hear the change back to your normal voice, stop untucking.
- This is the position that your neck should be in to improve cervical posture.
- To get a deeper neck flexor stretch, you can use your fingers, a towel, or a theraband which adds resistance.
- As you tuck your chin, press the back of your neck into your chosen instrument.
If you do this multiple times a day, your neck should begin to adapt into this position. You should start feeling pain relief as you continue to work towards improving your cervical posture by using these exercises.
If you think you may have bad posture, come and see us today. We will help you improve cervical posture, and address all other back and neck issues that may be adding to the issue.
If you’re in pain right now, if you don’t have to be. Give us a call or schedule an appointment online. We also accept insurance. You can Schedule an appointment here.
