Is Your Head on Straight?
Rene Cailliet, M.D., director of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Southern California, has written about the importance of the relationship between our head and our cervical spine (neck).
Gravity, poor posture, the weight of the head or past injury (such as a car accident) can cause something called the "Forward Head" syndrome. This is where your chin juts out in front of your shoulders and chest, causing stress to your spinal cord and brain stem. It’s crucial for your head to sit back, centered above your shoulders.
According to Cailliet, when your head is jutting abnormally forward, it can add significant pressure to your cervical spine. Besides fatigue, it can produce other health-robbing affects:
- Impaired lung capacity
- Loss of proper bowel movement
- Reduced vitality
- Chronic pain
Postural changes reduce your ability to turn and bend and can impair the function of your nervous system. Eventually the entire body can be affected, producing the telltale hunched posture.
Chiropractic care has helped restore the proper relationship between the head and neck for countless millions of people. But it takes time! The Forward Head syndrome takes time to show up and even longer to resolve.
Keep a keen eye out for people with this all too common condition and refer them to our practice for a no-obligation evaluation.
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