assistance with forward head posture, rounded shoulders.

Hello,

I have forward head posture that is causing jaw pain, as the mandible is being pulled back and in while the head extends forward.

I also have forward, rounded shoulders which are contributing to the head being pushed forward.


I have been to a chiropractor for treatment, and she was successful in treating sublaxations in the lower back.


I would however like to get assistance in corecting my overall posture including the forward head posture and rounded shoulders which are causing the most distress.


Can anybody advise on the course of care i should be seeking. Is this something I should be seeking assistance from in a chiropractor or physiotherapist? or something else?


Also, if somebody can suggest a good practise i would be greatful.
I am in Melbourne, Australia.

Thanks - Niall

You need to seek advice from someone who can provide exercises to strengthen specific areas to retrain your posture.

Your rounded shoulder are probably due to tightness in the pecs and a weakness in the back muscles. So to correct you would need to strenthen up your scapular stabilisers and stretch out your pecs. One without the other will probably not work.

Your forward head posture is probably due to a lack of muscle stregth at the back of the neck, causing you to rest on your ligaments and poke your chin

Hope this helps a little. But changing your posture is not a quick thing to do. You will nee to put a lot of work into it to achieve your end goal

Quote:

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Originally Posted by numbers

Hello,

I have forward head posture that is causing jaw pain, as the mandible is being pulled back and in while the head extends forward.

I also have forward, rounded shoulders which are contributing to the head being pushed forward.

I have been to a chiropractor for treatment, and she was successful in treating sublaxations in the lower back.

I would however like to get assistance in corecting my overall posture including the forward head posture and rounded shoulders which are causing the most distress.

Can anybody advise on the course of care i should be seeking. Is this something I should be seeking assistance from in a chiropractor or physiotherapist? or something else?

Also, if somebody can suggest a good practise i would be greatful.
I am in Melbourne, Australia.

Thanks - Niall

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Hello,

I would like to advise you to perhaps look at the evidence base behind Chiropractic before you indulge in getting 'corrections'. The Canadian Chiropractic College has links to the new journal that lists the conditions that Chiropractic appears to treat.

I believe Evidence Based Physiotherapy may be more beneficial for you as suggested as there may be some degree of muscle, joint problems that can be dealt with first. I do not see how 'subluxations' in your lower back appear to be connected with what you describe as obviously upper extremity problems.
Talk to your physiotherapist and make sure you understand what they mean by:
- Mobilisations
- Cervical Traction
- Muscle Balance Exercises
These are possible therapies available to aid in realignment of joints, muscle tendons, and ligaments of that area.


Regards

hi
cos imbalance of your posture gave strain on the lower back that's why you could have jammed lower back.
you should find a physio with experience in a gym or personal trainer with clinical knowledge, manual therapist,sport therapist etc.
i noticed few ozziz on the forum, im a fan of alophysio, check database for his contacts.
all the best
PS i would reccomend high impact training lots of free weights

thanks

Do you have any advice for exercise to strengthen the muscles at the back of the neck? I too would like to stop walking with my head too far forward. I have had success with the shoulders, but not the neck.
Annette

Correction is possible! It will take 1 year or 2 but is possible! All you need is a good Physiotherapist and you to follow his or her recomandations. Best wishes, Ilona

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Originally Posted by annette2

Do you have any advice for exercise to strengthen the muscles at the back of the neck? I too would like to stop walking with my head too far forward. I have had success with the shoulders, but not the neck.
Annette

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This is very much possible, however, close consideration and examination of the neck and shoulder region are necessary to examine muscle imbalance issues.

Very many muscles act on the neck, and a treatment that involves specific muscle balance exercises can indeed resolve this issue over time.

The issue with neck poke posture is very difficult to assess without visual examination, because the whole body needs to be examined. For example, the common posture of most road goers (people who drive cars etc.) is one of plantar flexed foot, flexed hips, chin forward. This is the same sitting in front of the computer. If this is your posture on a daily basis one must examine where the muscle imbalances occur, and then provide specific treatment from the ankles, to the knees, to the hips which will effect even the neck posture.

regards,

Thank you Canuck Physio, and thanks to Ilona for the encouragement. I am working on Pilates to strengthen the core, but I have trouble with all the peripheral parts of the body because of RA.
The Arthritis Society physios educate more than they treat since they are such a scarce resource. I saw another physio for shoulder troubles but he was focussed on the 1 problem and seemed anxious to succed and get me off the roster despite the fact that I am covered privately for physiotherapy. I am nervous about just picking a private physio because of my musculoskeletal issues.
What do you suggest?
I like the patient forum idea. I did not want to post before as the site is so physio oriented, but a lot of the posts have been helpful, especially the one giving the site for UK shoulder treatment guidelines.
Annette

Hello, The forward head posture could be because of uppercrossed syndrome where there will be shortness of upper chest and neck extensors and lengthening of neck flexors and upper back extensors.


my strong recommendation is to see an efficient physiotherapist.
by treating the muscle imbalance the problem could be solved. in some patients tapping technique also works.


once the muscle imbalance is corrected you should be careful regarding your posture all the time to prevent recurrence.physiotherapist will be assesing you to find out the cause and will try to treat the cause.
This forward head posture could because of a number of causes like the problems in any other part of the spine or even the hip,knee or ankle.
I have forward head posture that is causing jaw pain, as the mandible is being pulled back and in while the head extends forward.

I also have forward, rounded shoulders which are contributing to the head being pushed forward.


I have been to a chiropractor for treatment, and she was successful in treating sublaxations in the lower back.


I would however like to get assistance in corecting my overall posture including the forward head posture and rounded shoulders which are causing the most distress.


Can anybody advise on the course of care i should be seeking. Is this something I should be seeking assistance from in a chiropractor or physiotherapist? or something else?


Also, if somebody can suggest a good practise i would be greatful.
I am in Melbourne, Australia.

Thanks - Niall[/QUOTE]