Dr. Jeff Langmaid explains how forward head posture multiplies stress on your neck. Your head weighs 8 pounds, but lean it forward 30 degrees and it feels like 40 pounds to your spine. Small postural shifts can double or triple pressure on spinal joints.
About 8 pounds.
About 30 pounds.
About 40 pounds (described as 'closer to 40 additional pounds').
May 28, 2019.
Foreign hi, my name is Dr. Jeff Langmaid with Research that Matters TV the average human head weighs about 8 pounds. Each day we all walk around with a bowling ball, our head balancing on a toothpick, which is our neck. We are designed this way to allow for the full range of motion that we all know and love. Even under the best circumstances, this places a lot of stress on your spine, but leaning Forward, even just 15 degrees, pushes that weight up to 30 pounds and with a 30 degree tilt, closer to 40 additional pounds. Driving a car, working on the computer, and using a tablet and phone all usually result in less than ideal posture. When you start to lean forward, it places a tremendous amount of extra pressure on the discs in your neck and spine. This can cause increased compression and lead to pain. Even just a few inches of forward head posture can double or triple the amount of stress on the spinal joints of your neck. Take a moment today at work and notice if your shoulders are rounding and your head has moved forward and the upper back is hunched over. If you notice yourself slouching into that type of posture, let us know. We'd love to provide you with some exercises that you can do at work to help strengthen the muscles supporting your spine and combat these muscle imbalances. Now remember, the more time you spend in that posture, the more likely you are to suffer from head or neck pain. I'll see you next week for another episode of Research that Matters. TV.
