Find out how your head position can affect your lower back
There are varied thoughts and theories related to posture. Some say that our posture has no effect on our pain. We’ve all probably heard, “Sit up straight!” I remember, “If you keep sitting like that, you’re going to get stuck there.” My mom used to say that because I liked to be on my head rather than my bottom when we’d sit in the den at night watching TV!
If you want to know what healthy postures look like, watch children from the ages of 4 months to 2 years old. Look to them for guidance. They will show you the best ways to sit, roll, squat, lift, and fall. They do it intuitively. It reminds me that the knowledge of optimal mobility and freedom from pain is inherently ours. We know what we need to do to heal ourselves. Sometimes, we need reminders on what to do, and that’s where I can help.
Let’s talk about one posture in particular that can have an effect on lower back pain. I’m talking about forward head posture. What is it? Forward head posture happens when the head sits in front of the shoulders. How can you tell? Draw a line from the ears straight down toward the floor along the side of your body. If the line running from the middle of the ears travels in front of the shoulders, that’s considered to be a forward head position. Research has shown that this position has very little bearing on neck pain. But, it can impact the lower back. How? Forward head positioning inhibits or prevents optimal abdominal muscle activation. When the abdominals don’t work optimally, we lose support to the lumbar spine especially when we are in an upright position. When our abdominals don’t work effectively, our lower back muscles have to work harder which leads to tightness in the lower back, overuse injuries and pain. Pain is a signal that our body is out of balance, but not always out of balance in the area that feels pain. We really have to assess our whole self.
So, how do you change a forward head position? One way is with a chin tuck. Let me share how to do a chin tuck. Keep your eyes focused on the horizon. Pull the head back, like a turtle retracting back into its shell, without tilting the head up or down. Feel the upper back of the neck lengthen. You might even feel like you are creating a “double” chin. That is a chin tuck. Go gentle and slow. Hold the head here and spend some time just feeling it. You can do that exercise throughout the day, especially if you’re at a computer, sitting in a car, looking down at your phone or a book or a laptop for extended periods of time. You can also do this when you are laying down on your back or on your stomach. You can practice holding the head in this retracted position for several seconds and then allow the muscles to relax. You can practice a few repetitions anytime you find yourself in the forward head position for any extended length of time. The chin tuck will counteract that forward position.
By bringing the head into a more neutral position, the natural curve of the neck is restored. Because of a cascade effect, the lower back is then in its natural curve and the abdominal muscles can contract more effectively.
If you have any questions or feedback, I’m here for it.
Take good care,
Sharon