Forward head posture is something that a lot of people struggle with, especially teenagers and young adults. It seems to be so common these days, along with rounded shoulders and general bad posture and movement. Just take a look at a crowd of people and you’ll see just how many of them have postural issues.
Mobile phone use often gets the blame for a forward head posture. And we’ve all been told that sitting hunched over at a computer all day isn’t great for our posture, but did you know that the position of the tongue can play a huge role in posture?
This is even more true if you (or your children) are tongue-tied. But even if your tongue just rests low in your mouth and you don’t have a tongue-tie, you could end up with postural problems – basically you’re at a much higher risk for developing a forward head posture.
In the video below, I’ll explain why this is the case, and how myofunctional therapy can help.
Forward Head Posture and The Tongue
Basically it all comes down to the tongue being such an important part of the orofacial complex and the structures of the cranium and neck. The tongue needs to rest in the top of the mouth, filling the palate from front to back. When it doesn’t, it can impact the position of the head on the neck, and the neck on the body. And of course, a low resting tongue can lead to all the other symptoms and conditions I see in my practice every day from sleep apnea and other types of sleep disordered breathing to jaw pain and tension, digestive problems etc.
Forward Head Posture and a Tongue-Tie
A tongue-tie can make this situation even worse because the physical restriction makes it impossible for the tongue to rest in the correct position.
Certain tongue-ties like a posterior tongue-tie can cause other muscle groups to start compensating for the tongue’s inability to move and rest properly. This can cause pain and tension, which can in turn exacerbate a forward head posture. A tongue-tie can even affect the fascia of the body’s deep front line, which can also impact posture and movement.
So the position of the tongue is critical. If you or anyone in your family has a low resting tongue, it’s definitely worth getting assessed by a myofunctional therapist.
Functional Patterns
There’s a fitness and injury rehabilitation system that I really like called Functional Patterns. I often suggest that patients try this system because it’s such a good match with what I do, and they get amazing results. If you’re dealing with any kind of postural or movement issue, it’s worth looking them up. You can work with a practitioner or try their online course, plus they have a lot of free information on social media.
