Do you know what is a nerd neck? It is a forward head posture (FHP) where your head is positioned with your ears on the front side of your body’s perpendicular line. However, in a normal posture, your ears align with your shoulders and body’s midline. If you suffer from this condition, it may cause neck pain, stiffness, unstable gait, rounded shoulders (a.k.a. kyphosis), and other side effects. But the great news is that it is easy to fix, so the article will focus on a cure for nerd neck.
What are the Causes?
FHP usually occurs due to keeping a hunched back position for an extended period. It is when you slump at your desk while working on electronic devices for long periods. So, specific stretching and strengthening workouts and manual therapies can help restore the backbone alignment and improve side effects.
Some other reasons for this condition might be carrying heavyweight bag packs, slouching for long hours, wrong sleeping position, whiplash-like injury, weak upper spine muscle, arthritis, or congenital malformation.
What are the Side Effects?
Nerd neck can transform the muscles that support your skull. These muscles include the upper backbone, neck, and shoulder muscles. So, if you have a misaligned posture, it can overwork these muscles and tendons. Also, the muscles at your neck front might get weak and short, while the neck back muscles can lengthen and stiffen.
Other side effects may include chronic neck pain, stiff muscles, reduced range of motion, headaches, spinal pain, jaw pain, numbness of hands and arms, compromised balance control, muscle spasm, and disc herniation.
What is the Recommended Exercise for Cure?
You can cure crick in neck by practising some specific stretches and exercises in your daily routine. Deep breathing therapy is also highly effective to improve the condition.
Some basic exercises to start with include:
Chin Tucks
You can perform chin tucks in any position, whether in a sitting or standing position, as it helps fortify your neck muscles.
- Keep your skull in a straight position while your chin is parallel to the ground.
- While your jaw is tucked, move the backside of your head farther from the neck base. Retain the position for three deep breaths.
- Resume the standard chin position, and repeat the motion.
Chin Tuck Lying Down
It is an ideal stretch that you can perform right after you get up in the morning.
- Lie straight on your back with a tiny towel roll below your neck
- Tuck in your chin.
- Resume normal chin position, and repeat the motion.
Chin Tuck Against Wall
This exercise is ideal for maintaining the proper body posture.
- Stand while your shoulders, head, and backbone lie flat against the wall surface.
- Tuck in your jaw.
- Retain for some seconds.
- Resume standard chin point, and repeat.
- Place both your arms up against the wall surface while your hands are out from the same beginning position.
- Swing your arms up and down against the wall surface.
Forward Neck Stretch
It is a variation of the basic chin tuck.
- Stand or sit, tuck in your jaw, use two fingers of your hand.
- Place your palm on the peak of your skull, and gently push as you move your head towards the upper body unless you feel a stretch.
- Maintain it for 20 seconds.
- Resume normal position, and then repeat it three times.
Yoga Pose for Neck Pain
Yoga postures can help relieve the pain and stress of your neck and shoulder muscles.
- Stand while your feet get in line with your hips.
- Gradually bend forward, gently flex your knees.
- Move your hands to the ground or the lower limbs.
- Tuck in your jaw and allow your head and neck to relax. If you are comfortable, you can move your head in circular motions or move from side to side to help release tension.
- Maintain the position for at least 60 seconds.
- Reel your backbone to a standing position while moving your arms and heads up.
Aligning Posture
When you improve your posture, it helps release pain and stimulate strength and flexibility. So, many exercises can be helpful.
To maintain a proper posture at work, you should:
- Choose a chair that supports your backbone.
- Keep your feet flat on the ground.
- Place your computer screen strictly at your eye level.
- Place your keyboard in a way that does not stress your hands and wrists.
- Choose a mouse that does not stress your wrist.
So, a healthy posture requires awareness and practice. And if your normal posture is slouching, try to improve it through workouts and good exercises.
How to Evaluate Posture?
You can evaluate a healthy posture by performing the following test:
- Stand against the wall surface while your skull, hips, shoulders, and feet align with the wall.
- Now move your arms in up and down motions against the wall surface ten times.
- When you are over with the exercise, you should walk away and ensure your body is rightly aligned.
What are the Other Treatments?
In most cases, a proper workout routine can help release pain associated with the nerd neck. Exercises help improve body postures. A physiotherapist or chiropractor can help formulate a particular workout plan. They can also help devise improved ways of sitting, standing, or improving your workstation.
Surgery
Usually, a doctor does not recommend surgery to treat the nerd neck until there is a fundamental structural abnormality like a congenital deformity. So, if you have FHP and kyphosis, your doctor might recommend surgery.
When to Visit a Consultant?
FHP has severe side effects that may include compromised ability to perform daily activities. So, if you are in a painful condition, it is a great idea to visit a consultant for diagnosis and treatment. However, in a few cases, you might be suffering from an underlying condition like bone deformity that might intensify your FHP condition.
In this situation, your consultant might prescribe muscle relaxant medication, along with physical or occupational therapy. Also, a chiropractor can help relieve the condition through manual therapy and targeted exercises to improve your forward posture.
