Chiropractic Chin Tucks for Neck Pain
By: Dr. Timothy Dunn
In our chiropractic clinics, we see many patients who are experiencing neck pain, headaches, upper back pain, and shoulder pain. Most of these patients are suffering from forward head posture (FHP) which places allot if tension on the spine causing these symptoms. A great exercise we use in our Chiro Health clinics that helps to restore proper head posture is the chin tuck. The chin tuck exercise consists of repeated upper cervical retractions against resistance which strengthens the deep neck flexors and stretches the cervical extensors. This exercise helps to bring the head into a more neutral position.
In a research article by Harmen et al, they showed that a group of people suffering from FHP who stuck to a 10 week exercise program consisting of chin tuck exercises improved their FHP. The measurements that showed improvement in this study was neck flexion range of motion (ROM) and the shoulder pelvis angle. The other exercises utilized in this study were, shoulder retraction strengthening, and pectoralis major stretching.
Quotes From Research Article
“Postural misalignment of head on trunk (e.g., forward head posture) is associated with complaints of pain in the neck and shoulder region1-5 and temporomandibular joint dysfunction”
“The E group performed neck extensor and pectoralis major stretches and deep neck flexor and shoulder retractor strengthening exercises for the 10-week period. Two-factor (group, pre-test/post-test) analysis of variance models were used to test main effects and interactions”
“In summary this set of findings is consistent with a change over time of postural alignment in the direction of a more neutral posture (away from the FHP) in both groups, with an increase in neck flexion ROM and an improved shoulder to pelvis angle unique to the E group only.”
In summary, it all comes down to moving our bodies in a better way. People were not meant to be sitting in chairs staring at computer screens and cell phones all day. We were meant to be out hunting and foraging upright. The good thing is, we know how to fix these postural issues and in our Chiro Health clinics we focus on restoring proper head posture and getting people moving the way they should be pain free.
References
Katherine Harman, Cheryl L. Hubley-Kozey & Heather Butler (2005) Effectiveness of an Exercise Program to Improve Forward Head Posture in Normal Adults: A Randomized, Controlled 10-Week Trial, Journal of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, 13:3, 163-176, DOI: 10.1179/106698105790824888
Our Message
When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our Chiropractors located in McKinney, near the corner of Eldorado Pkwy. and Stonebridge Dr., will teach you what the research says about how and why we should eat a better diet, move more and have more positive thoughts. By improving these areas of our lives we can restore motion, decrease pain and reduce stress by staying positive!