6/25/2010

The Dangers of Forward Head Posture

A friend of mine is absolutely addicted to her iphone. She starts each day by checking her emails on it. Anytime she gets lost she’s quickly bent over her phone looking up directions. She texts constantly and is always downloading and trying out new applications for the phone. Now my friend is complaining of neck pain, headaches, and shoulder tightness- common side effects of forward head posture.

Holding the head further forward than is natural is becoming more and more common with technologies like cell phones, hand held video games, ipods, etc. This forward head posture puts a huge strain on the spine, increasing the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds for every inch of forward head posture.

Aside from muscle strain in the neck and shoulders, this type of posture can lead to disc herniation or a pinched nerve. It also puts more strain on your respiratory system. Shortness of breath can lead to bigger problems such as heart or blood vascular disease. The strain on the cervical spine also slows the creation of your body’s pain-controlling chemicals (endorphins) making the pain and discomfort even more intense.

It’s difficult with society’s growing reliance on hand-held technologies that only emphasize forward head posture. But don’t worry- you don’t have to get rid of your iphone just yet. Being more aware of the dangers and prevalence of forward head posture means you can help to avoid it. Keep your posture in mind, even while checking your cell phone, and you can avoid forward head posture and the health problems that accompany it.

Always keeping your neck posture in mind will be the biggest help but I often recommend a home neck traction unit to correct spinal alignment too.  A good 1st step is to start using our traction pillow for sleeping.


Visit Arc4life.com for your online selection of cervical support neck pillows, orthopedic pain relief products and Home traction units. Products for pain relief. Add to Technorati Favorites Delicious Bookmark this on Delicious Stumble It!

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