Tech-Neck (Forward Head Posture)

If you’re anything like the average Canadian you could be spending up to eleven hours each day staring at a screen!

Without ergonomics awareness, staring at a computer, smartphone or television screen for hours each day is leading to forward head posture. This causes the neck extensors to stretch, the neck flexors to weaken, and can load an additional 60 pounds of pressure to the back of the neck. Pain aside, forward head posture can also inhibit breathing capacity, lead to migraines and cause brain fog.

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Reaching Forward (Rounded Shoulder Posture)

In addition to pulling your neck forward, our chronic use of computers and phones — as well as other lifestyle habits such as driving, cooking, and spin classes — is causing rounded shoulder posture. By living life with your arms primarily in front of you, the chest gets overly tight and the mid and upper back weaken; this instability is a common cause of neck and shoulder pain.

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Feeling Stressed

Stress not only causes mental tension, but physical tension as well; as your sympathetic nervous system fires up (getting you ready to fight-or-take-flight), so does your body. The problem is that this physical response likely occurs when you’re sitting at your desk or in your car, so instead of being able to release the energy from your tightly coiled muscles, the pressure in your body remains, which can lead to neck and shoulder pain.

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This sequence is designed to be completed from start to finish, it's arranged into four sections for maximum relief:

Upper back mobility: A flexible upper back places less stress on your neck and shoulders.

Neck mobility: In order to reposition your neck to its optimal neutral alignment, we must first move it gently through a full range of motion.

Shoulder rotations: These exercises are designed to open the chest and shoulder and reverse forward shoulder posture while gently strengthening the muscles that support the mid back.

Alignment: The sequence finishes with two alignment exercises to help you return to an optimal neck and shoulder position.

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UPPER BACK
 

1) OPEN BOOK - 5 reps

Start by lying on your side with your knees bent in front of your hips and hands over your ears, elbows pointing forward. Inhale and reach the top elbow to the ceiling, looking up at the elbow point. Exhale and continue to open the top elbow to the back side until it touches the floor or an elevated prop such as a pillow (to decrease range of motion). Stay for a full inhale and exhale, relaxing your shoulders, inhale again, then exhale and return to the starting position.

Tip: Keep your knees stacked and resting on the floor; move slowly and imagine that you are unwinding the top half of your spine.

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2) THORACIC EXTENSION - 3 to 5 reps

Start seated on the floor with your mid back resting on a foam roller or a rolled-up bath towel. Support the head in the hands, elbows wide, and keep the feet on the floor. Inhale to prepare. Exhale and slowly extend your spine back over the roller, only moving as far as you need to until you feel a gentle stretch in the upper back, chest and abdominals. Inhale to hold. Exhale and return to the starting position, using your abdominals.

Tip: Start with a small range of motion and gently increase this over time; you should feel no discomfort in your low back during this exercise.

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NECK

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3) HEAD TILTS - 2 minutes

Start in a comfortable seated or kneeling position, with the head stacked directly above the shoulders and the arms resting by the sides. Inhale to prepare. Exhale and slowly and gently lower the left ear towards the left shoulder, only so far as you need to feel the beginning of the stretch. Inhale to hold. Exhale and return to the top. Repeat to the left side, pausing on the inhale breath and moving on the exhale. Next, exhale and turn your head to look over the right shoulder. Inhale and return to center. Exhale, look over the left shoulder. Continue to slowly alternate between each position.

Tip: There are many small muscles to stretch between positions A and B. Take your time throughout the movement phase to gently release each muscle.

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4) NECK ROLL - 3 circles on each side

Start in a comfortable seated or kneeling position, with the head stacked directly above the shoulders and the arms resting by the sides. Inhale to prepare. Exhale and slowly and gently lower the left ear towards the left shoulder, and then take the chin towards the chest. Inhale as you continue to circle, taking the right ear towards the right shoulder, and finishing by stacking the head above the shoulders in your starting position. Reverse the circle.

Tip: Match the pace of movement to your slow breaths, exploring each position as you transfer through it.

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SHOULDERS

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5) SHOULDER SHRUGS - 10 reps

Start in a comfortable seated or kneeling position, with the head stacked directly above the shoulders and the arms resting by the sides. Inhale and lift the shoulders up towards the ears. Exhale and return them down, feeling the blades settle on the back.

Tip: This move strengthens and releases the muscles in the upper back.

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6) KNEELING ARM CIRCLE - 3 to 5 per arm

Start in a high kneeling position or seated on a chair, with the head stacked directly above the shoulders and the arms resting by the sides, palms facing in and thumb forward. Inhale, reach the left arm straight up to the ceiling, and pause. Exhale, rotate the palm away from your body, and continue to circle the arm until it is back down by the hip, palm facing out and baby finger forward. Inhale and begin to reverse the circle, stretching the arm behind you and up to the ceiling. Pause. Exhale, rotate the palm back to the body, stretch the arm all the way forward and return it down by your side, palm facing in.

Tip: Really stretch out through your arm as you make this circle, taking up as much space in the room as you can; keep you head, neck and hips relaxed.

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7) WING SPAN - 2 minutes

Start in a high kneeling position or seated on a chair, with the head stacked directly above the shoulders and the arms stretched directly out to the side, in line with the shoulders, palms forward. Inhale to prepare. For one long exhale: reach the arm up overhead, palm forward; the left arm down by your hip, palm back; bend the elbows and reach the fingers towards each other at the center of your back. Stay for a full inhale and exhale. Inhale again to return to the starting position. Exhale to repeat on the other side. Continue slowly alternating between each position.

Tip: It doesn’t matter if you can’t touch your fingertips, over time you will be able to!

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ALIGNMENT

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8) SCAPULA SLIDE - 12 to 15 reps

Start on all fours, wrists under shoulder and knees under hips, with a long flat back. You must press firmly into your palms and fingertips to feel the engagement through your mid back. Keeping the elbows STRAIGHT, inhale and slide the shoulder blades (scapula) together (you’ll feel as if you’re dropping your chest to the floor). Exhale, press into the hands and return to the starting position.

Tip: You must keep your elbows straight! If this is challenging to do on all fours, stand up and place your hands against the wall to perform the exercise.

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9) NECK RETRACTIONS 6 to 8 reps

Start by lying on your back, knees bent, arms down by the side and the eyes straight up to the ceiling. Inhale, gently jut the chin forward to the ceiling, keeping the back of the head on the floor. Exhale, retract the chin in towards the throat, and feel the back of the neck lengthen.

Tip: Don’t jut the chin forward too much; it’s a small movement. Focus on lengthening the neck against the floor during the retraction phase.

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