It seems backwards doesn’t it…the idea of having a curve in something that looks so straight from the outside, your neck.
When we think about our spine, we typically see it from the front or back. Only rarely do we have it pictured from the side. But it’s true…you should have a forward facing curve in your neck.
In fact, it’s vital to your health.
A curve in your neck, referred to as your “cervical curve” is there for a very important reason. It acts as a shock absorber.
See, your head weighs approximately 10-12 pounds. So, positioned directly over your neck, it’s a lot of weight to carry. However, with the neck curve fully developed, the weight gets dispersed evenly and it’s much easier for your neck to carry.
Problems arise when the curve decreases. Instead of having a nice cervical curve, the neck develops into what we call straight or kyphotic. This type of neck causes lots of problems.
First, it’s a lot more stress on the structure of the spine to hold and support all the head weight. Therefore, degeneration begins and continues unless something is done to stop it.
Degeneration is the body’s natural process to try and stabilize an otherwise unstable spine.
Next, there tends to be lots of secondary conditions that occur from a straight neck. Symptoms like headaches, dizziness, loss of energy, sleep apnea, shoulder tension, and numbness and tingling can occur or be made worse due to the loss of neck curve.
In chiropractic offices everywhere this has turned into an epidemic. The reason for it is the constant use of phones and electronic devices. Think about it…when you are using those devices, are they typically held at eye level, or down towards your lap?
Exactly.
When you look down for long periods of time, you cause the loss of curve in the neck to accelerate.
There is hope. One thing you can do is to keep all your electronic devices up higher and closer to eye level in order to lower stress.
Another thing we’d recommend is visiting a corrective chiropractor to start restoring normal structure to your spine.
Best wishes. Stay healthy friends.