Would you be surprised that your neck and shoulders hurt if you had a 5 kilogram watermelon hanging around your neck? 

According to Dr I.A. Kapandji (Physiology of the Joints, Volume III), for every 2.5 cm your head moves forward, it gains 5 kilograms in weight – as far as the muscles in your upper back and neck are concerned because they have to work harder to keep your chin from dropping onto your chest. This also forces the suboccipital muscles that  raise the chin to remain in constant contraction, putting pressure on the 3 suboccipital nerves. This nerve compression may cause headaches at the base of the skull. Pressure on these nerves can also mimic sinus (frontal) headaches.

Rene Cailliet M.D., a medical author and former director of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Southern California states: “Head in forward posture can add up to thirty pounds of abnormal leverage on the cervical spine. This can pull the entire spine out of alignment. Forward Head Posture (FHP) may result in the loss of 30% of vital lung capacity. These breath-related effects are primarily due to the loss of the cervical lordosis, which blocks the action of the hyoid muscles, especially the inferior hyoid responsible for helping lift the first rib during inhalation.”

Persistent Forward Head Posture puts compressive loads upon the upper thoracic vertebra, and is also associated with the development of Upper Thoracic Hump, which can devolve into Dowager Hump when the vertebra develop compression fractures (anterior wedging).

It’s not uncommon to observe 2.5-5 cm of anterior head placement in new patients. An assessment and chiropractic program can help ensure that the only time you’re carrying a watermelon is after visiting the fruit market.

Regards,

Dr Sarah MacNeil

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