Chin Tuck

One of the common faults in neck posture which results in an increased strain on your head and neck structures is the head forward posture. For every inch your head moves forward of your upper back the strain on your neck increases exponentially. We all remember when our parents would constantly nag us about sitting up straight. They were right! It is important to try and maintain a more erect posture when working at a desk, driving a car, or carrying things. The muscles in the neck become weak when you are in pain and thus require specific therapeutic exercises to activate and train them.

A great exercise is called the chin tuck:

• perch at the edge of your chair or stand up
• place your finger on the front of your chin then draw your chin away from your finger as you pull it in
• this is basically a nodding movement with your head as if saying "yes" without dropping your head or looking down
• you should feel a gentle pull in the back of your neck as this stretches tight muscles there
• repeat 2 to 3 times slowly
• hold for a second or two when the chinis in
• attempt to do this every 20 to 30 minutes when sitting for extended periods of time.

Balance Exercises

Decreased balance ability can lead to ankle sprains, knee injuries, low back pain or in the elderly potentially catastrophic falls. As a result of consistent balance training we can help prevent ankle or knee injuries and reduce the likelihood of falls in older perople.

Another benefit is that balance exercises require no special equipment and can be performed safely and effectively at home. It requires just a few minutes a day and needs only a chair nearby if you are susceptible of balance problems.

Test your balance:

• Stand on one leg and look straight ahead and give yourself 3 chances to last 30 seconds
• Start over if: the raised foot touches your opposite leg, the foot moves or hops, and/or the hands reach out to touch something

Within a month your single leg stance should improve. This will be a sign that your risk of injury will go down. The key with these exercises is to challenge yourself at or near your threshold so you can continue to make progress. This is an excellent exercise for runners because you can strengthen your lower legs/ankles and prevent injury while running on uneven terrain. In the same sense it is great for the older population because it can strengthen the muscles through the hip/low back region to prevent falls currently and also in the future.

MORE TO COME!