Natural posture.
A side view of the human body shows that there is a small inward curve in the neck just above the shoulder girdle. Can you guess what this inward curve is called? It’s a word you certainly have heard enough in this book. Yes, it’s called a lordosis. When we discussed the back, we repeatedly referred to the lumbar lordosis. The inward curve in your neck is called the cervical lordosis. This curve in the cervical spine is our main concern in this “neck part” of this book.
The shoulder girdle consists of the left and right scapulas (shoulder blades) and the left and right clavicles (collar bones). When you stand upright, your head should be directly above the shoulder girdle, therefore forming a small but visible lordosis Due to postural neglect, people can often be seen with their heads in front of their bodies, with their chins poking forward.
When this is the case, the cervical lordosis is altered in shape and the joints are distorted. In this position, the joints of the lower neck are bent relatively forward (flexed), whereas the joints between the upper part of the neck and the head are bent backward (extended). This is called the “protruded head posture” and, if present often enough and long enough, can cause neck pain to develop.
