The Tale of the 42 Pound Head

If you had to venture a guess, how much would you say your head weighs?  Definitely not 42 pounds, right? That's crazy talk. The average human head weighs approximately 10-12 pounds.

The 14 ton head. 

Extensive time spent at a computer, poor sleeping posture, driving, even breathing habits can cause a 30 pound weight gain....in your head. So how exactly does this happen and what are the repercussions? We'd have to revisit our junior high science classes where we learned about first-class levers, fulcrums, their effect on mass and gravity and all that other riveting stuff. We won't be doing that here today, instead I am including a nice, simple little picture illustrating this phenomenon (you're welcome).

The mechanics of updating a Facebook status

Your head should be properly aligned where your ears are directly above your shoulders. For every inch your head
creeps forward, there is a 10 lb weight gain. If we do the math, a 3 inch increase can translate to a 30 lb weight gain resulting in a 42 pound head. YIKES. Notice in the picture above when the head is in the forward head position where the increase in applied force (AF) occurs. All the vertebrae, ligaments,  and muscles on the back side of your neck end up picking up the slack resulting in muscle strain, imbalance and accelerated aging of the cervical disks (think: disc herniation, arthritis). Headaches, TMJ, pain in facial muscles, pain at the base of the skull and all the the muscles running down the back of your neck all the way down the spine are some of the symptoms you may experience with chronic forward head posture.

    Good                   Not Good

Unfortunately the activities that contribute to the muscular imbalances found in forward head posture are things we all do daily either through our jobs or for recreation. They are unavoidable.  Call me psychic, but I predict you are more than likely on a computer right now. Stop and check where your ears are. Are they back over your shoulders? (You knew I didn't mean are they on the side of your head, right?). Habitually poor posture is the leading cause of forward head posture. Being vigilant about your posture whether you are sitting, standing or driving is the best defense against the 42 pound head.

End result of habitually poor posture.

Fortunately, if noticed early enough, the muscular imbalances caused by forward head posture can be corrected.  If you notice any of the symptoms I've mentioned, spend a lot of time at a computer, or have observed that you might have forward head posture check out the links at the end of this blog on proper postural alignment. Scheduling a massage can help alleviate any of the pain you might be experiencing in addition to helping restore balance between the muscle groups involved in the dysfunction of forward head posture. I also recommend stretches and strengthening exercises for specific muscles groups that clients can do at home.




Click on these links for better posture:

Posture For a Healthy Back

Good Posture At Your Desk