5 kg or 11 lbs
That’s the average weight of the adult human head. That’s a lot of weight to be held up by 7 tiny neck vertebrae, supported by about 20 muscles. Picture a bowling ball perched on a broomstick!
Even the smallest misalignments in the spine can alter the position of your head, resulting in forward head posture (FHP). Here are just some of the effects of increased FHP:
- Higher headache frequency
- Lower back pain
- Decreased neck muscle endurance and strength
- Decreased range of neck motion
- Increased risk of carpal tunnel syndrome
- Decreased respiratory muscle strength and lung capacity
Staying in proper spinal alignment not only ensures proper communication between the brain and the body, but it allows you to hold your head up effortlessly thereby reducing the wear on your spinal joints.
Get Regular Adjustments
Regular chiropractic adjustments play a vital role in maintaining your optimum spinal alignment. And don’t forget the exercises and the traction unit prescribed by your chiropractor: it is the force over time that causes the ligament at the front of your neck to stretch and allows the spinal correction to happen.