Patients with posture problems and chronic pain may benefit tremendously from a diagnostic neuromuscular orthotic. There are two main causes of forward head posture more accurately referred to as forward neck posture with cranial rotation at C1 and C2 or the Atlas and Axis. The first reason is that the jaw acts as a counterbalance to the head through a complicated series of connections. In general if the jaw closes too far, ie decreased vertical dimension or is pushed to far back, posterior displacement . This causes stretching of the supra and infrahyoid. When this occurs for extended period of time it will cause the cranium to tip forward and down. To correct visual line of site the head then rotates at the joint of the first vertebrae (Atlas ) to the head or occiput.
The second cause is to open the pharyngeal airway. Patients attempting to correct their head position will always fail if they do not address the airway.
Airway and jaw position are tied together so closely that most patients with TMJ disorders (TMD or Temporomandibular Disorders) actually have both conditions. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has a report "CQRDIOVSCULAR AND SLEEP RELATED CONSEQUENCES OF TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS"
IT IS WELL ESTABLISHED THAT MOST PATIENTS WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (SNORING, HYPOPNEA, UARS, RERA) HAVE SMALL AIRWAYS WHEN THEY ARE AWAKE AS WELL AS ASLEEP. WHEN AWAKE THEY PROTECT THEIR AIRWAY BY NEUROMUSCULAR COMPENSATION. FOWARD HEAD POSITION AND ABERRANT JAW POSITIONS ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF PROTECTING THE AIRWAY.
CORRECTION OF ABERRANT HEAD POSITION SHOULD ALWAYS ADDRESS THE AIRWAY.
SYMPTOMS RELATED TO AIRWAY AND FORWARD HEAD POSITION MAY INCLUDE:
HEADACHES
MIGRAINES
NECK PAIN
BACK PAIN
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE
SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS
SLEEP APNEA
FACIAL PAIN
ARM PAIN AND WEAKNESS
ARM NUMBNESS AND TINGLING OR SENSATION OF FALLING ASLEEP
POSTURAL DISTORTION
SLEEP APNEA
SNORING
AND ADDITIONAL AUTONOMIC AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS TO NUMEROUS TO COVER IN THIS BLOG
