most important factor in obtaining this goal. When I say proper posture, I am not talking about sitting up
straight (although that is a good habit). What I mean is that when you are standing up in your body’s natural
position, several things should be occurring. Your body should be straight (level shoulders and hips); your
shoulders should not be rounded forward; your head should be directly over top of your shoulders; your
head should not be tilted or rotated; and you should have no rotation in your pelvis.
In addition your x-rays should reflect symmetry and balance. When viewed from front to back you should
have no abnormal curves or misalignments in your spine. When viewed from the side your lower back and
neck should curve in; your pelvis should sit at its proper angle; and the center of gravity for your neck and
back should be in their appropriate places.
Spinal Adjustments as well as Postural Correction Exercises done in the mirror image of the problem will
correct this abnormality. For example: if your head tilts to the left, we simply exercise it to your right to
balance out the structure. And as stated previously, orthotics help us to achieve this as well by giving us a
level foundation.
Below are two pictures that are examples of poor posture. The man in the first picture has forward head
carriage of about 3". For every inch the head moves forward the weight of the head doubles in terms of
workload placed upon the spine. In his case this would be 40 pounds of force instead of the normal 10
pounds. The lady in the second picture has a pronounced translation of her head to her left. The center of
gravity of her head (between her eyes) should fall directly over her episternal notch (the little "V" you can
feel at the top of your sternum). To learn how to check your posture click here.
When viewed from the side, your neck should curve inward about 40°. This is called a lordosis. Many times
people can lose (and occasionally even reverse) this normal curvature. Sometimes it can happen due to a
trauma, like a whiplash injury. Other times it occurs gradually over time due to poor posture, repetitive
activities involving looking downward (computers, writing, reading, etc.), or bad sleeping habits (too thick of
a pillow). Usually the head is carried too far forward when the curvature is lost. This puts excessive strain
on the muscles and joints of the cervical spine. It is almost guaranteed that the loss of curvature and
forward head carriage will result is arthritis at the spinal levels of C5-6-7 (mid and lower neck).
In addition headaches, neck pain, arm & hand numbness will often accompany this condition.
Spinal Adjustments, Postural Corrective Exercises, and Cervical Traction usually improve this condition. It
takes time to restore the neck curvature and posture, but it is definitely worth it.
