Today I was a guest speaker at Hidden Hills Elementary School in San Ramon, and I thought the topic was equally important for 5th graders as it is for the readers of Blackhawk Living. “Tech Neck” – or “Forward Head Posture” is one of the leading conditions that drives people into my office. Symptoms include headaches, neck pain, poor range of motion, or the dreaded Hump at the base of the neck.
You get this from sitting or standing with poor posture for extended periods of time (think: using a computer or cell phone, driving, or watching a TV). It’s rampant in our society, and just getting worse and worse.
At the school, I showed how easy it is to hold an 8 pound weight over your head, and how difficult it is to hold it out at an angle in front of you. The kids totally understood, and were interested in how they could avoid it.
The first step is sitting with good posture, and the trick there is to sit with your butt crack all the way in the back crack of the chair, which I call “crack in the crack”.
The second thing to do is to learn to breathe. I broke this into 4 steps:
1. Expand the space between the belly button and rib cage (straight up, not curved back)
2. Let your shoulders and arms relax
3. Try to touch your head to the ceiling
4. Big breaths, expanding your rib cage without lifting your shoulders
If you have pain with any of these motions, that’s a good sign you have restrictions in your spine or rib cage, and chiropractic or massage would be indicated.
If these elementary school students can get it, so can you! Reach our to our top rated clinic if you have any questions!