One of my favorite images from massage school was a teacher’s description of the relationship between your head and your neck. “It’s like a bowling ball balanced on a broomstick,” he said.
When you’re feeling pain in the back of your neck and shoulders and between your shoulder blades, it’s often due to a forward-head posture. Peering into your computer monitor (or your car windshield, or whatever else is in front of you) puts your “bowling ball” forward of your body’s centerline, causing the muscles in the back of your neck and shoulders to work harder and get sore.
To put your bowling ball back on top of your broomstick, move your head straight backwards (like an Egyptian dancer). From the side, it would look like you are sliding your head directly backwards. There’s no flexion (moving your chin toward your chest) or extension (moving the back of your head toward your back) of your head, just a rearward movement of your head.
Once you have isolated that backward sliding movement, sit up straight and slide your head backward and forward several times, emphasizing the backward part of the movement. In a very relaxed and easy manner, picture your head staying back in its more comfortable position.
It may feel a bit odd at first to have your head back where it belongs (this has to do with gizmos called proprioceptors, nerve sensors in your body that report back to the brain where they think a body part is, that mistakenly think it’s normal for your head to be in its office posture). Repeat this exercise often throughout the day to reeducate your poor, confused proprioceptors, and enjoy your new pain-free posture.
About the Author
Larry Swanson is a massage therapist in downtown Seattle, WA. His practices focuses on the unique needs of office workers and also includes injury treatment for sports and car-accident injuries as well as massage for wellness and athletic performance.