 Looking down at a cell phone can cause "text neck". |  Headaches are commonly caused by tension in the neck and upper back. |  Forward head posture is a common postural imbalance. |
Do you get headaches, neck tension, shoulder or upper back pain?
Have you had sinus issues or problems with vertigo or dizziness?
Do you get jaw pain or has your dentist said you have TMD or TMJ?
Have you heard of forward head posture or text neck and think you might have it?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you probably have misalignment of your head and neck.
Your head is supposed to be balanced directly above your shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle from the side and supported by a smooth S-curved spine. From the front your head should be squarely positioned over level shoulders and hips, and knees and feet that point straight ahead.
Have you had sinus issues or problems with vertigo or dizziness?
Do you get jaw pain or has your dentist said you have TMD or TMJ?
Have you heard of forward head posture or text neck and think you might have it?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you probably have misalignment of your head and neck.
Your head is supposed to be balanced directly above your shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle from the side and supported by a smooth S-curved spine. From the front your head should be squarely positioned over level shoulders and hips, and knees and feet that point straight ahead.
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When you have chronic head or neck pain your doctor will often offer a diagnosis. Many of these diagnoses are of unknown cause (scoliosis, torticollis, thoracic outlet syndrome), blamed on "normal aging" (arthritis, stenosis, disc degeneration, disc herniation), or said to be caused by an injury (disc herniation/rupture, thoracic outlet syndrome, torticollis), while others are known to be caused by poor misaligned posture (text neck, tension headaches, TMD). In reality, all of these symptoms in many if not most people are directly related to poor posture and the resultant compensation that happens because of it.
Imbalances in any of the load bearing joints (ankles, knees, hips, shoulders) can cause the spinal column to lose it's vertical alignment and natural S-curve, which will throw the head out of good postural alignment. When the head moves forward (forward head posture), tilts laterally, rotates, or moves out of alignment in any other way, it can cause a multitude of issues including: neck pain, shoulder and upper back pain, headaches, dizziness, balance issues, breathing issues, and sinus congestion and pain. You might be diagnosed with text neck, TMJ or TMD (temporomandibular joint disorders and pain), cervical stenosis, cervical disc herniation or rupture or degeneration, thoracic outlet syndrome, scoliosis, arthritis, cervical dystonia or torticollis, or tension headaches. Regardless of the diagnosis the most important thing to figure out is the underlying cause of the problem, which in cases not involving traumatic accidents is often misaligned or poor posture. (But even in cases of car accidents, neck curvature and head position can predict severity of injury from whiplash.)
Check out this great image that shows the relationship between neck posture and whiplash injury.
Check out this great image that shows the relationship between neck posture and whiplash injury.
Misaligned cervical vertebra, characteristic of forward head posture, are caused by misalignments of the pelvis and lumbar and thoracic spine. These misalignments cause over time wear and tear of the tissues of the neck which can lead to cervical arthritis, stenosis, disc herniation or degeneration, and overworked muscles of the neck and upper back that lead to shoulder, upper back, and neck pain along with tension headaches and breathing issues.
 Cervical herniated disc caused by load joint imbalances and the loss of an S-curved spine. |  Cervical spondylolisthesis caused by thoracic kyphosis, forward shoulders, and loss of lower cervical extension. |
When the head tilts our of balance (forward or down, to the left or right, etc) the inner ear and sinuses are affected because they both work on principles of vertical and horizontal alignment with gravity that keep the fluids working correctly. This misalignment of the fluid canals with gravity can cause balance issues, dizziness, and sinus congestion and pain.
 Forward head posture caused by excessive thoracic and cervical flexion can cause sinus issues. |  Sinuses work in relation to gravity and the flow of sinus fluids is dependent on proper head and neck posture. |
The exercise video below by Sonima.com and narrated by Pete Egoscue contains a series of postural alignment exercises to help correct a misaligned head and neck and relieve associated symptoms. Let me know how the routine works for you in the comments section below.
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