Focus on Your Head & Shoulders for Health

Raise your hand if you have shoulder pain. Actually, don’t. With shoulder pain, that may hurt, and we don’t want that, but what if I told you that your pain may be in your head?

I don’t mean it’s not real, I mean if you have shoulder pain, I’ll bet it has something to do with where your head is. Not mentally, physically.  

I’m being confusing, aren’t I? Sorry. I promise to explain if you’ll try this first. 

Stand with your back to a wall while touching your butt, upper back, and the back of your head to it. If you can’t touch your head, just keep your head up and look straight ahead in as tall a position as you can. 

Slowly raise both your arms over your head, paying close attention to how it feels and your range of motion. Bring your arms back down. 

Bring your head forward just a couple of inches and look slightly downward. Slowly raise both your arms over your head, again paying close attention to how it feels and your range of motion 

Notice the difference?

Feel how it takes just a slight difference in head position to significantly change how your shoulders move? It doesn’t take much and if your position is off, that leads to poor movement and that can equal pain.  Unfortunately, due to our penchant for staring at phones and computers all day, poor head position, and therefore shoulder and neck pain, are epidemic.

So, what do you about it?

Get tall.

When I say that, I don’t mean actually growing taller, I mean standing taller. Standing taller puts your shoulders in a much better position, which means less pain and less stress.

Here’s how you do it:

While standing, imagine a string coming out of the top of your head.

Now imagine someone pulling that string straight up. Feel what that does to your shoulders? Feels better, huh? Especially when you add in a good deep breath or two. Now the trick is to keep this in mind when you’re working, driving, walking and especially whenever you feel some of that shoulder pain we’re all terribly fond of.

If you have chronic shoulder or neck pain, a better head position may not cure it, but I guarantee it’ll be a big part of whatever the solution is.

Let me know how I can help.