No Wrinkle at the Back of the Neck

It has been correctly pointed out to me that in the post I wrote about the wrinkle at the back of the neck, I wasn’t explicit about what should be going on there. I just pointed out two possible ways of holding the head.

Tight muscles at the back of the neck where the head meets the spine are one of the body’s main trouble spots. This area is the home of the sub occipital muscles that are largely responsible for many of our movement patterns. The wrinkle that I wrote about is manifestation of the tightness in these sub-occipital muscles.

Trouble with these muscles causes the forward head posture that is our most common postural problem, and interrupts our eyes ability to communicate with the spine.

I have a new toy that I will be writing about in the next couple of weeks, the Bongo Fitter First Balance Board. Oh boy, do I love it. And it is the length at the back of the neck that receives most of my attention when I work on balancing.  And I need to be extremely vigilant because every time I wobble and check in with my body, my chin has elevated slightly and the wrinkle at the back of the neck is there.

When we walk, sit, stand, or run we would like to have our head on straight and ideally be able to hold our eyes level with the horizon. We always want to be looking straight ahead with level eye sockets, which keeps the back of the neck long.

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Sunday Morning Music: Pamela Means