Forward head posture occurs when the head juts forward of the torso's midline. It involves upper neck extension and lower neck flexion, flattening the normal cervical curve. Common causes include excessive smartphone, computer, and driving time. Symptoms may include neck, shoulder, and head muscle pain. Diagnosis involves tests like the wall test and side profile photos. Treatment focuses on strengthening weak neck muscles and stretching tight ones, along with ergonomic adjustments.

1. Forward Head Posture
causes | muscle pain symptoms | diagnosis |
management | tests used ……..
PREPARED BY | MARTIN SHAJI | PHARM D

2. ♻️What Is Forward Head Posture?
Forward Head Posture is where the position of the head
is in front of the mid line of the torso.
🔑It involves a combination of upper neck extension and
lower neck flexion.
🔑There is also a flattening or loss of the natural curve in the
cervical spine.

3. 🔴Forward Head Posture is also referred to as:
ℹ️Poked neck
ℹ️Forward head carriage
ℹ️Nerd neck
ℹ️Chicken head posture
ℹ️Text neck

4. b) Weak and/or Inhibited
muscles:
➡️Deep neck flexors
➡️Longus Capitis
➡️Longus Colli
➡️Lower cervical
extensors
➡️Multifidus
🔴What Muscles Are
Involved?
a) Tight and/or Overactive
muscles:
➡️Anterior Scalenes
➡️Sternocleidomastoid
➡️Sub-Occipital muscles
➡️Posterior cervical muscles
(These muscles can sometimes lead to
headaches.)

5. 🔴Causes:
➡️Too much time looking at your cell phone.
➡️Too much time at the computer.
➡️Too much time driving.
➡️Carrying a heavy backpack.
➡️Sleeping with your head too elevated—for
example, too many pillows, or with your head
propped against the armrest of a sofa.

6. 🔴Forward Head Posture and Muscle
Pain Symptoms
ℹ️General soreness. This dull or achy pain may spread across the
side or back of the neck, as well as into the upper back,
shoulder, and/or head.
ℹ️Intense pain. If a muscle is strained and/or goes into spasm,
resulting in tightness and severe pain that may feel sharp or
burning. Intense neck pain may worsen with specific positions
or movements but alleviate in other positions or at rest. This
pain is typically localized in one spot—such as the side of the
neck or base of the skull—rather than spreading across a region

7. ℹ️Trigger point pain. This pain involves tender, taut
spots in muscles that can become even more painful
when touched. Trigger points are especially common
along the back of the neck, but the pain can also be
referred up into the head or down into the
shoulders.Some studies have linked trigger point
pain as being more likely with forward head posture,
especially in people who have migraines or other
types of headaches

8. 🔑How Do You Know If You Have Forward
Head Posture?
a) Wall test

9. Instructions:
Place your back completely flat against the wall.
➡️Make sure your pelvis and shoulder blades
are in contact with the wall.
➡️Do not over arch your lower back.
➡️The back of your heels do not have to be
touching the wall.
➡️Do not tilt your head backwards.
➡️Whilst standing in this position, does the back
of your head naturally come in contact with the
wall?

10. 🔑Results:
If the back of your head does not naturally come
into contact with the wall, then you likely have a
Forward Head Posture.

11. b) Side profile
➡️Take a side profile photo of yourself.
➡️Draw a line down the mid line of your torso.
➡️Draw a line down from your ear canal.
➡️This line should be parallel to the mid line of the
torso.
🔑Results:
If the line from the ear canal is in front of the line of
the torso, then you likely have a Forward Head
Posture.

12. 🔴 Improve Forward Head
Posture
1. Start each morning with chin tucks
and chest stretches
2. Set up your workspace ergonomically
3. Sleep on a cervical(orthopedic) pillow