Importance of tongue position for head posture

Head and tongue position play crucial role for life

“I don’t like that my head sticks forward. I regularly do exercises where I lean my head against the wall and perform chin tucks, but the position just won’t change.”

The condition of forward head posture is not caused solely by tight posterior neck muscles and lengthened anterior neck muscles. It’s a more complex issue, where the person, among other things, has difficulty inhaling into the upper front part of the chest. The upper ribs are in a state of internal rotation, and the upper third of the lungs struggles—or even fails—to fill with air. The alveoli in that area begin to lose their ability to expand and exchange gases.

Forward head posture

The position of the head is not dictated only by neck muscle tension—it also affects a range of symptoms. The so-called forward head posture, where the cervical curve is lost, can lead to:

• Impaired signal transmission through the spinal cord and its branches

• Headaches caused by tension in the temporalis muscles

• Changes in facial structure, with the jaw being pushed backward

• Breathing difficulties due to a restricted airway