Struggling to turn your Head? Do this!

Why can’t I turn my head comfortably?

This forward head posture is the culmination of a series of events over time.

The muscles deep in the front of our necks are becoming weaker and shortened and the muscles between our shoulder blades and in our upper back are also becoming weaker and lengthened. 

Our ribcage is collapsing inwards and our shoulders are internally rotating making it more challenging to engage our diaphragms and take a deep refreshing breath of air into our lungs.

But look what happens when we rotate our ribcage upwards!

Just by expanding my ribcage and filling my lower lungs with air, my posture has improved dramatically.

In the first photo, I’m demonstrating a forward head posture. This is the posture that I see in the clinic every day when people see me for a stiff and painful neck.

It’s also the precursor to nerve pain and headaches. It’s bad news and needs addressing.

Physiologically our joints get stiffer in this position making it even harder to turn our heads.

Try it for yourselves now.

Give yourself an artificially accentuated forward head posture. Let your shoulders slump forward, turn your shoulders in and poke your chin out. It feels rubbish, doesn’t it??

Now try and turn your head to each side. Notice just how difficult that was?

Now try it again but this time before you do expand your ribcage by breathing in deeply. 

You’ll notice that your sternum lifts and your head naturally comes back into a more neutral, powerful position.

Now try and turn your head. It will almost undoubtedly be easier.

The 5-Minute Posture Fix

So to help us turn our heads comfortably with more range of motion and less pain we need to re-create a posture that has as default a sternum that is lifted up and not facing downwards.

I like to pre-set this position and then complete some exercises to strengthen the position itself.

The Exercises

I like to fit the exercise to the level of pain and dysfunction that my patient has.

For instance, if someone comes to me with severe osteoarthritic pain, irritable neck joints and restricted range of motion, I will start by giving them a postural setting exercise and a mobility drill. I’ll leave the more advanced exercises to those who are in a position to benefit from them the most.

But for now back to your ribcage….

Exercise 1 – Scapula Retraction

How to perform:

1. Lie on your back on the floor. Bend your knees and place your feet comfortably on the floor too.
2. Have your hands resting on your sternum (centre of your chest)
3. Breathe in slowly through your nose. Feel your hands rise as your chest fills with air.
4. At the same time feel your shoulder blades engage with the floor surface.
5. Once you feel this engagement stop breathing in and continue to breathe normally as you maintain this position.
6. Hold for a count of 10.
7. Relax and repeat.

You should aim to complete this for 5-6 repetitions.

You can also perform this in standing but I would advise you to start on the floor.

Physio Tip: As your ribcage is expanding, try to keep your lower back neutral. It will want to arch but your job here is to keep it relatively neutral.

It will move a little, that’s natural but try and keep an excessive lumbar curve out of this movement.

Exercise 2 – Cat/Cow Stretch

A lot of neck tightness and tension is linked to poor mobility through the upper back (thoracic spine).

This is a favourite exercise of mine to unlock this portion of your back.

Unlike traditional approaches to this exercise, I want you to treat this like a mobility drill. 

How to perform:

1. On all fours with hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips.
2. Breathe in through the nose as we did in exercise 1, and feel the air expanding your rig cage.
3. At the same time drop your head down and feel as if the air is pushing your back up into a rounded cat stretch position.
4. Hold this position briefly and as you exhale lower back down to the start point.
5. This is very much a “flow” exercise moving between the two positions naturally using your breathing and not sustaining the hold for too long on each repetition.

You should aim to complete 5-6 repetitions.

Physio Tip: If you find kneeling difficult you can stand with your hands resting on the back of a chair and complete the same movement.

Exercise 3 – Chin tuck and nod

This is another fantastic exercise and when coupled with exercise 1 and 2 it becomes a real powerhouse which will improve both strength and mobility.

How to perform:

1.  Sit or stand comfortably looking directly ahead. Make sure that your chin is neutral, neither dipped nor lifted.
2. Gently pull your chin directly backwards until you cannot go any further. This may be limited by neck pain if you have it so always listen to what your body is telling you.
3. Once you have reached the endpoint, gently nod your chin downwards.
4. Relax the movement and repeat 5-6 times.

Exercise 4 – Head turn

Once you have completed the 5-Minute Posture Fix your muscles and body will be primed and ready for the final stage.

We now need to challenge that stiff neck by turning the head left and right.

Start slowly. 

Looking directly ahead now turn your head to the left and the right. 

You may find it easier already having prepared by completing the Postural Fix.

Don’t force the head across with your other hand at this stage. The joints may be sensitised and not used to being pushed too far. Start by actively stretching initially for a few days before you start to gently encourage the turn by pushing the chin further around with your fingertips.

Conclusion

Give the recommended exercises a try. By committing to this regime at least once a day you’ll soon start to notice a reduction in pain and an increase in range of motion.

Good Luck!