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Let's face it; a forward head position is not a good look.
Not only do you look like a 90-year-old turtle but this position can have both short long-term consequences on your health.
Forward head position occurs when your shoulders round forward and the head moves in front of your shoulders. For every inch that the head moves forward from the shoulders, the weight of the head increases by at least 10 pounds. As the head moves forward, our line of site is pulled downward so, to compensate we end up compressing the seventh cervical vertebrae in attempts to move our line of site back up.
This not only affects the cervical vertebrae but soft tissue and nerves.
It can lead to tingling that radiates down the arms, problems with eyesight, migraines, Temporomandibular Joint Pain (TMJ) and much more.
How does a proper Pilates practice address this?
Over the past two decades, I've created a specific sequence of exercises that help to correct muscle imbalances and improve posture.
The priority is to stretch the muscles on the front of the torso such as the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor and lower cervical flexors.
As the tight muscles begin to release, I then incorporate exercises to strengthen weak and elongated muscles. Posterior deltoids, rhomboids, and neck extensors are top of the strengthening list.
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