Head Forward Posture (aka Anterior Head Syndrome)

When we think of conditions that effect our long term health, conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, etc. often are at the top of peoples lists. Posture usually doesn't even enter our minds as a "condition" that has very real effects on your health. Over a series of posts I would like to enlighten you to research showing you how important posture is in terms of overall health, physical functioning, and mortality. I will also go over different ways to correct postural deformities (and no, trying to "sit up straight" isn't going to cut it).

Today I want to leave you with this study from The "Journal of the American Geriatrics Society" to give you an idea about how important posture is in overall death risks:

• Posture was assessed as Normal or Hyperkyphotic (forward head). Hyperkyphotic was defined as requiring more than a 1.7 cm head support hold head level.

(In scientific jargon, this means basically if you measure how far your earhole is in front of your A/C joint, the "bump" on your shoulder)

The people with hyperkyphotic (Forward head) posture had 1.44x greater mortality over the next 4.2 years.

(This means that these people with this condition, compared to people with non head forward posture, had an almost one and a half greater risk of dying of in the following 4.2 years.)

So its not just neck/back pain and headaches that are bought on by this postural deformity. In future posts I will explain how this condition can effect overall health and not just put you at risk for some of the symptoms listed in the picture below.

Source: D. Kado, MD, Huang, DrPH, A. Karlamangla, MD, PhD etc. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Volume 52 issue 10, p 1662 -10/2004