What is it about?
Forward position of you head can be an accommodation to improve breathing when a patient has airway compromise due to jaw position or TMJ disorders. By moving the head forward airway passages are opened when a patient has difficulty breathing through their nose, improper tongue position, and jaw tensions. On the other hand sometimes head position can adversely affect a patient's ability to breath. The position of the head and upper back appear to have a relationship to general health and longevity.
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Why is it important?
Various studies discuss one aspect of forward head posture and discount others. In this article the goal is to explain why the studies on forward head posture, TMJ disorders, and airway may present different findings. Ideally understanding this multifactorial concept will lead to better study if the subset of subjects are better defined.
Perspectives
In clinical practice I have seen the issue of forward head posture and thoracic hyperkyphosis with various causation and this article helped me better explain to my colleagues about how it is necessary to properly differentially diagnose a patients presentation and not start from a preconceived notion.
Charles Blum
Sacro Occipital Technique Organization - USA
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The many faces of forward head posture: the importance of differential diagnosis, CRANIO®, April 2019, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/08869634.2019.1594003.
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