Why Chin Tucks Don't Help Your Posture, And What To Do Instead

Make a double chin! No thank you. I often hear this misguided piece of advice as a posture correction tip, even from other physical therapists. First of all, it's just unflattering, no one wants to walk around forcing a double chin. Good posture will make you look better, not worse. Secondly, it just doesn't work. Merely pulling your head back over your shoulders does nothing to address the root causes of why your head began to drift forward. Forward head posture is most often combined with rounding in the upper back and protracted shoulder blades. If you only reposition the head without realigning the foundation beneath it you are setting yourself up for failure and frustration. Changing posture isn't easy. It requires awareness, and repetition over a long period of time. In order to make a sustainable change your corrections must be comfortable and require minimal physical effort. This video demonstrates a postural retraining exercise I use to get my patients to appreciate the relationship between their head and torso and begin to reposition both in a complementary fashion. It sometimes takes a little bit of practice to figure out but when you do it is a game-changer for posture training.  

You need strong muscles to help you maintain an upright balanced posture. If you want to build strength check out my free 10-minute-a-day full-body strength program by clicking here.