Awareness is the first step to learning how to fix bad neck posture. From tech neck to forward carriage, poor neck posture plagues more people than ever these days. This is widely due to the environments, whether they be for work or entertainment purposes, that we are accustomed to.
Spending frequent time at a desk for work or looking down constantly at your phone are two big factors that encourage poor neck posture. If you truly desire to learn how to fix your neck posture, continue reading. We will provide in-depth information on the how-to’s of eliminating bad neck posture once and for all! First, let’s look at a few common causes of bad neck posture.
What Causes Bad Neck Posture?
Oftentimes, bad neck posture is caused by muscle imbalances. These imbalances encourage poor neck posture, along with posture issues that extend to the back. The muscle imbalances themselves can be caused by a few factors. One of them is your working conditions.
There are many jobs that require spending long periods of time sitting at a desk---secretaries, corporate jobs, and writers are a few of them. During the long hours spent typing meticulously at a computer or answering phone calls, it can be quite easy to conform to bad posture habits. For example, forward head posture, where the head leans forward, can be caused by an array of factors including spending too much time at a computer.
Another factor that can encourage muscle imbalances is an inactive active lifestyle. Our blog post, “Neck Posture Exercises: Fixing Forward Head Syndrome” goes over how to fix forward head syndrome using exercises that correct bad neck posture so that you can regain control over your posture.
How Can You Tell If You Have Bad Neck Posture?
If you’re curious whether or not you have bad neck posture, you can look for a few notable signs. A hunchback is one of them.
Hunchback refers to the over-exaggerated forward rounding of the upper back. This often finds its origin story in childhood where slouching and heaving heavy school bags begin. These actions stretch the muscles and ligaments that support the vertebrate. With repeated occurrences, the lack of focused support of the vertebrae can result in kyphosis, where the thoracic vertebrae are pulled out of their set position.
Another sign of bad neck posture is forward neck carriage. This sign of bad neck posture is actually very common due to many people leaning forward to look at their computers or stare down at their phones. Forward neck carriage is the placement of your head as it leans forward. This unnatural position, which is consistently held for long periods of time or frequently enacted throughout one’s day, places a lot of stress on the neck’s joints causing dysfunction in the neck region.
These two---forward neck carriage and hunchback---are two signs of how to tell if you have bad neck posture. Be aware of these signs! Chances are, if you’re here reading this article, you already know your neck posture needs work. Your next question is likely, can neck posture be corrected?
Can Neck Posture Be Corrected?
Neck posture can be corrected. If there are issues with spinal alignment or other posture problems, we first recommend making an appointment with a chiropractor. A chiropractor can professionally adjust joints in the neck and spine to restore the posture and motion of the neck.
We also recommend checking out our blog post, “How to Get Rid of Tech Neck”. This post goes over how to get rid of tech neck, a major issue that is encouraged by the over-reliance on technology in today’s world. Whether it be sitting at a desk all day, staring at your phone, or kids playing games on their tablets, all of these attributes combine into one major cause of bad neck posture---tech neck.
There are tips that can encourage good posture as seen in our blog post, “How to Loosen A Stiff Neck: Quick Tips”, which goes over how to relieve neck stiffness that can be caused by poor neck posture. We’ll share these insights with you later in this article - first, let’s talk about setting expectations. How long will it take you to reverse the curse of poor posture?
How Long Does It Take To Fix Forward Neck Posture?
Improving bad posture requires building healthy habits or routines. This mandates the establishment of consistent routines. With consistency, forward neck posture can be fixed within 3-8 weeks!
When learning how to fix bad neck posture, setting a time each day to go through our recommended neck posture exercises will be beneficial in promoting quick results. Another aspect to be aware of is building a conscious awareness each day of your posture. How are you sitting at your desk? Are you leaning your neck forward? While you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, are you slouching your neck forward to stare at your phone? Taking note of your posture throughout the day is essential in turning your bad posture into good posture.
Why Learning How To Fix Bad Neck Posture Is So Important
Bad neck posture can have negative effects on your body. Bad neck posture can cause back and neck pain due to the stress placed on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
By learning how to fix bad neck posture, you are improving your overall quality of living. The reduction of back and neck pain eliminates further pain, fatigue, muscle tension, and other painful physical issues and medical ailments that are caused by bad posture.
Learning good neck posture can result in a much-needed confidence boost, as posture can affect a person’s quality of thought. A study showed that sitting up straight rather than slouching and allowing the neck to fall forward enhanced confidence in one’s thoughts. And, let’s face it - bad posture is ugly! Who would you rather be seen as - someone with strong, proper posture or someone with slouching posture and forward head posture?
How To Fix Neck Posture: Lifestyle Adjustments
There are many reasons why fixing bad posture is essential, but they all boil down to the same thing - improving one’s quality of life. Get ready to discover how you can fix your bad neck posture with these simple lifestyle adjustments! After these tips, we’ll explain how you can rely on exercise to transform your posture for the better.
Improve Your Workspace Setup
Thanks to ergonomic improvements in the workspace, there are plenty of awesome adjustments that can be made in your workspace set up to help eliminate bad neck posture. Investing in an adjustable standing desk can impose great benefits like--better posture, reduced back problems, prevention of muscle inactivity, and improved comfort during your work day.
Another method to improve your workspace setup without spending extra money is adjusting the monitor height. The center of the computer monitor screen should be level with your nose. If the monitor is too low it can encourage the angle of your head to be down, enabling poor neck posture. Likewise, looking up at your monitor will result in pain and immobility in its own right, along with poor posture.
Make sure your keyboard is positioned correctly, too. It should be close enough so that your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle. It should be placed on the desk so that it is high enough to prevent you from slumping forward and down to reach the keys of the keyboard. The mouse should be placed at the same level as the keyboard.
Spend Less Time In Front Of Screens
Spending copious amounts of time in front of computer screens or phone screens can encourage bad neck posture. Oftentimes when people look at their phones, they don’t hold them up directly in front of them. That’s tiring on the arms. Instead, they hold their phone down close to their midsection. Now, this positioning contributes to poor neck posture
Though not as grievously as when looking at a phone, working at a computer can also contribute to bad neck posture. Spending less time in front of screens is an important lifestyle adjustment that can be made to fix bad neck posture. That or simply improving the quality of your posture while spending time in front of screens. While you can’t get away from screens at work, you can certainly avoid them after hours. Spend less time watching TV or playing video games.
Evaluate Your Sleeping Situation
Interestingly enough, your sleeping situation can affect neck posture as well.
Sleeping positions can play a big part in the success of fixing your bad neck posture. For example, sleeping on your stomach can be a poor position as it places your neck in an awkward and unnatural position that can cause poor neck posture and even neck pain.
We recommend sleeping on your side or back to avoid an uncomfortable neck position that can encourage bad neck posture. And, you should also examine your pillows. Are they carefully cradling your neck, or putting it in a compromised position? Some people have seen impressive changes to their neck posture by simply getting rid of one pillow.
How To Fix Neck Posture: Stretches, Mobility Work, & Exercise
If you’re looking to fix bad neck posture, utilizing efficient and effective exercises, stretches, and mobility work is the best method. Follow along with these guided steps on how to fix your neck posture through exercise.
How To Fix Your Neck Posture With Stretches
To fix forward neck posture with stretches we recommend consistency first and foremost. Pay attention to detail and what your posture looks like outside of the time you spend working on neck posture.
A few stretches you can utilize to fix neck posture include Chin Tucks, Upper Trapezius Stretch, and the Doorway Stretch.
Chin Tucks can aid in strengthening the cervical muscles (the muscles at the front of the neck). The Doorway Stretch can prove to open up your shoulders and chest that may be tight from poor posture. By completing this stretch, you are helping to relieve tension in the neck and back from poor posture. The Upper Trapezius Stretch works to stretch the upper back muscles and neck. These muscles can become incredibly tight, especially in individuals suffering from forward neck posture.
How To Fix Your Neck Posture With Mobility Work
Mobility work can help to increase range of motion, which can then improve overall posture to prevent stress and tension in the neck. Neck pain can cause pain in more than the neck. It can also transfer into the back and shoulders. By dedicating time to performing mobility exercises, you can drastically prevent issues in the neck, shoulders, and back.
A simple mobility exercise to try is stretching the neck out by looking left to right. Make sure to push your shoulder blacks back and together. As you look from left to right, rotate the neck to obtain an equal range of motion on both sides. You want to push into the uncomfortable to obtain a good stretch to strengthen your range of motion. Obviously, make sure to push to an “uncomfortable” position, not a “painful” one, to correctly and safely work on neck mobility to fix neck posture.
How To Fix Your Neck Posture With Exercise
Ready to learn how to fix bad neck posture caused by muscular imbalance? Along with the other changes we recommended, you’ll need to strengthen your neck to restore proper posture. We encourage you to start by reading these two essential guides: Neck Training - The Complete Guide and 6 Best Exercises to Strengthen Neck Muscles. The exercises recommended in the second article will help you make up your training.
And, in terms of how to train the neck, you’ll need some equipment: Neck weight harness and resistance belts OR the #1 piece of neck workout equipment on the market: The Iron Neck.
The Iron Neck is the world’s #1 neck strength device that eliminates neck pain and reverses poor posture. This innovative piece of equipment has been proven to aid those that suffer from pain caused by accidents, poor posture, and wear and tear often caused by beloved hobbies. If you truly desire to overcome poor neck posture, this is a spectacular piece of equipment you need to invest in.
How To Fix Neck Posture: Final Thoughts On Eliminating Forward Neck Syndrome
All in all, there are quite a few methods to help you improve poor neck posture. Whether it be consistent stretching, improving one’s workspace to create an ergonomic environment, or utilizing the Iron Neck for progressive results. Because this piece of equipment unlocks 360-degree training of the neck, you can effortlessly attack poor posture from all angles. You’ll be amazed at the results you see - but, you have to get started first!
Start your journey today to fix poor neck posture and transform your neck for good!