Sore Neck? It's Your Heavy 42 Pound Head!

Dr. Doug - Chiropractor
Jan 25, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Jan 30, 2025

Dr. Doug - Chiropractor in Brampton - Voted Best Chiropractor 2024

Experiencing muscle pain. — Pain caused by muscle imbalances.

Your Heavy 42 Pound Head

We’ve heard about “Tech neck.” It involves looking down at our phone or laptop while working or just scrolling. Is this a real thing? According to French orthopaedic surgeon and spinal specialist, Adelbert Kapandji, it absolutely is! Years ago, he looked at the effects of a head-forward posture. He estimated the average head to weigh about 12 pounds. He also determined that for each inch the head was forward of it’s placement above the shoulders, it added an additional 10 pounds of strain. He noted that he frequently found his patients to have their heads 3 inches forward, making the strain on the neck muscles 42 pounds!! One way to really grasp the severity of this strain is to imagine you are holding a bowling ball. Hold it close to your body and it isn’t very heavy. Extend your arms straight forward and you can feel the extra effort. Now think about that bowling ball at the top of your cervical spine!

This strain becomes especially problematic over time. The spine in the neck and upper back become stiff in this forward position and it becomes impossible to straighten up. You might feel neck soreness or even be developing headaches. There is a solution to this problem. Chiropractic treatment to relax the tight, strained muscles and loosen up that stiff spine allows you to regain the proper position for the neck. With some simple but targeted postural exercises, your body is retrained to maintain that posture, or at least have more strength to support the spine for those moments that you have a “42 pound head.”

Not sure what steps to take? Set up an appointment with Dr Doug to have him assess your painful condition and come up with a plan to help you find your balance!