We hear a lot about how important the core is when playing football, or specifically, running. An area not often talked about is the thoracic spine. A tight thoracic spine can muck up the entire posterior chain, you can’t get your shoulders and head into a good, aligned position, which then transmits strain into your neck and lower back. It can also mess with your hip function, so stresses will creep their way into areas such as the knees, ankles and feet.
What is one of the major contributors to the dreaded forward head on neck, tight T-Spine posture? The 21st century texting position.
Kenneth Hansraj, a New York back surgeon, found these alarming figures using a computer model of a human spine. An average human head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds, and tilting it down to check Facebook, send a text, or to Google, the weight of the human head increases the gravitational pull on said cranium.
“As the head tilts forward the forces seen by the neck surges to 27 pounds at 15 degrees, 40 pounds at 30 degrees, 49 pounds at 45 degrees and 60 pounds at 60 degrees,” Hansraj writes.
This is the image I see every morning on my regular bus duty. It’s pretty clear to see, even from the untrained eye, that this is not a great postural position for anyone, let alone a young athlete, in comparison to the second image.
Make a better decision people, and get organised.
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