Monday, November 9, 2015

Maintaining a Healthy Neck for Life (Part 1)


On the topic of healthy aging, this article will begin to address proper care and maintenance for the neck. While it may seem like a relatively small part of the body, it holds major importance as it serves as the first “passageway” of information from the brain to all parts of the body. In order for the brain to effectively do its job and maintain proper control and regulation, this flow of information and nerve energy must be allowed to proceed uninterrupted. Many times there will be issues arising from the neck, such as spinal misalignments, inflammation or degenerative joints, that have the potential to interfere with this transmission and as a result, nerve communication will be less than optimal or possibly greatly reduced. Maybe there is minor irritation on the nerves at the top of the neck near the base of the skull and we get a headache or experience dizziness or sinus problems. Or, if we have a disc bulge or degeneration and the nerves become compressed or “pinched”, it can result in loss of communication from the brain and then muscles can become weak or paralyzed and organs can malfunction. Therefore, it is critical that we strive to maintain optimal health in the neck, or cervical spine, as it relates to our nerves, joints and discs.

Probably the biggest contributor to the health (or lack of) of your neck will be your posture over the course of a lifetime. When we are first growing and developing in the womb, we are in the fetal position with the neck bending in a forward position (it’s kind of cramped in there) and the spine in essentially a large C-shaped curve. After birth when we have more space to move around, the spine can now straighten out and we then proceed to develop new curves, the first being in the neck. As muscles develop and strengthen, babies lose their “wobbly head” as their spine gains more stability. Once they start raising their head and looking up and around while lying on their stomachs, they now begin to develop a curve in the neck opposite that of the fetal position and this is supposed to be maintained through the rest of life. What we see in practice though is that if proper posture is not maintained, this will set the stage for degeneration and irreversible changes in neck structure. Many patients will point out that they “don’t want to be like grandma” or the little old man or lady that is stooped over and has the “hunchback” appearance. Believe it or not, posture will be the major contributing factor in cases like that.

So what is correct neck posture? When looking from the front or back, we should see that the ears are level and there is no tilt to the left or right. From the side we should see that the center of the ear is over the top point of the shoulder and there is a visible curve in the neck. If not, then the first order of business is to do what mom and all those teachers told us to do: sit up straight! It is all too easy to spend numerous hours throughout the day with our heads forward or bent down, looking at cell phones, at our desks or computers, preparing food, or just relaxing with poor posture. When we do that day by day, week by week and year by year, we reinforce the changes that lead to loss of the proper curve and the problems that follow. To correct it, we need to engage the muscles in the back of the neck and make sure the ones in front aren’t overly tight. While sitting or standing against a wall, focus on drawing the head straight back (not bending back) so that it is centered over the body. Hold for a few second, relax, and then repeat for several repetitions. Stretching the neck in all directions is also important, holding for 15-20 seconds as you look left and right, bend to the left and right and bend forward and back. Hunched posture also leaves the muscles of the chest chronically tight so find a door frame or outward corner of a wall, place the forearm flat against it and slowly rotate the torso away from the arm to get a good 20 second stretch in the chest and front shoulder muscles. Repeating these simple steps on a daily basis, in addition to watching your posture, will go a long way in helping maintain the health and integrity of your neck for a lifetime. Next time we will discuss further strategies to keep you centered, balanced and optimally healthy.

In Health, 

Dr. Brad Niewierowski

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