| Poor upper neck posture is almost universal as we | | | | Physiotherapy assessment will pick all these factors |
| spend much of our lives sitting in one way or another, | | | | up and form a plan to reverse the changes which |
| to rest, to drive, to work, to operate computers and to | | | | have occurred. |
| watch television. Because many of us sit with a poor | | | | Postural correction is a simple but important start point |
| low back posture, with our lumbar spines slumped into | | | | for this process as correcting the poor lumbar slump |
| flexion, this rounds the thoracic spine and brings the | | | | will automatically improve the posture of the thorax, |
| head forward so we are looking down. Due to the | | | | shoulders and neck. This correction will need to be |
| fact that we want our heads to be looking forward | | | | maintained and re-corrected constantly until your body |
| mostly and not down, we tip our faces up and put our | | | | gets used to the fact that the new posture is the |
| necks into extension. This results in the typical poor | | | | normal one. Your physio may give you exercises to |
| sitting posture of rounded upper thorax, rounded | | | | mobilise the upper thorax and shoulders and is likely to |
| shoulders, poking chin and neck extended. | | | | teach you cervical retraction, an exercise which is |
| Maintaining the typical poor neck posture for a long | | | | difficult for some to get the hang of. |
| period, perhaps even over years at work or when | | | | Cervical retraction, or chicken shift or chin tuck or |
| resting, causes changes in the tissues around the area | | | | double chin exercise, is done by keeping the face |
| which adapt to the new posture and tighten in some | | | | forward as normal and tucking the whole head in |
| areas whilst stretching in others. As the problem | | | | towards the rear. Your chin should not go up or down |
| worsens the neck and upper thorax tolerate less and | | | | and this exercise forces all the neck joints towards the |
| less being taken out of their usual poor position and the | | | | ends of their movement, a position they have not seen |
| posture becomes fixed with reduction in ranges of | | | | for a while if poor posture is you problem. Slow |
| movement, pain and discomfort. Gradually this will limit | | | | repetition of this exercise restores a more normal |
| the ability to use a computer or sit watching the | | | | potential posture for the upper neck and mobilises all |
| television and start to impinge on the person's life. | | | | the neck facet joints. |