Forward head posture is one of the more common postural problems we see in our North Dallas chiropractic office. This occurs from being on your cell phones or reading in bed with your neck propped up on several pillows. Forward head posture is where a patient’s head naturally rests forward of their shoulder. The more the head sits in front of the shoulders, the harder the muscles in the back of the neck, shoulders, and upper back must work to keep the head upright. In addition to pain forward head posture has been linked to headaches and respiratory impairments. The general advice is to limit screen time and sit up straight. What treatment options benefit a patient with forward head posture?
FHP Research
A 2021 randomized trial compared shoulder stabilization exercises (SSE) to no exercise in 39 young women with forward head posture. SSEs can use elastic bands at ten reps a set, three sets a day, and three days a week for four weeks. The control group did not perform any exercises. Improvement was only found in forward head posture in only the exercise group.
SSE compared to abdominal control feedback (ACF) in 135 women with forward head posture. There were three groups: SSE and ACF; SSE only; and general exercise. The results proved that the SSE and ACF group had the best outcomes. This was with respect to posture, pain, balance, and strength.
In 2019, a study compared mobilization therapy of the neck and upper back with deep neck flexor exercises. This occurred in a group of 31 patients with forward head posture. The results showed the mobilization group was more than twice as likely to report significant improvements in cervical posture.
Two years earlier, the same research team compared upper back mobilization with exercise versus neck mobilization with exercises in 32 participants with forward head posture for four weeks. Outcome assessments showed that 11 of 15 patients in the upper back group experienced significant overall improvement compared to 8 of 16 patients in the neck group. Additionally, members of the upper back group exhibited greater improvement with respect to neck posture.
The results found from these studies suggest that specific exercises and manual therapies are effective for managing the patients with forward head posture. Chiropractors frequently use manipulation and exercise to achieve the best outcome for the patient.
