Ask HN: Have you successfully treated forward head posture ("nerd neck")?

Three bits of advice from having gone through this:

1. You need both stretches and muscle strengthening exercises.

2. Ergonomics while working matter, things like putting your monitor higher will help a lot compared to hunching over a laptop.

3. Consult a physiotherapist. If money is tight then just do a single visit and ask him/her to diagnose and then give you some tailored exercises. You can then do those and might not have to go back.

I’ve had bad posture since I was a kid (40s now). I gave up until a few years ago because all I ever heard or read was “stop slouching”. So, when I did try to have good posture, I’d end up just puffing my chest out which never felt like something I could sustain. Finally, I randomly came across “chi running”. I never took up running but watching their videos it finally clicked how to actually get myself into a good standing posture: (1) push the crown of your head to the sky as if being pulled by a string (2) engage your core so that your pelvis is level. The core+pelvis part is key for sustaining good back and neck posture. I realized I never engaged my core when sitting or standing. See https://youtu.be/N8VXrv2KVeE?t=95 .

As far as sitting posture, I keep this picture at my desk to re-evaluate my posture https://1-hp.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ergonomics-101.p...

Specifically to try to combat the effects of having forward head posture for decades, I do the chin tuck exercise - see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09kHVqOx1Hs&t=25s - from the McKenzie method for neck pain/injury prevention (book https://mckenziemethod.com/product/mckenzie-method-treat-you...)

I have this problem despite adjusting my monitor height properly.

I consulted a practitioner (in Taiwan, so I'm not exactly sure how to describe her.) She directed me to do the following: stand on tiptoe closely against a flat wall where the ceiling is higher than I can reach on tiptoe. Keep forehead against the wall. Reach upwards, keeping the part of forearms nearest the wrist against the wall. Inhale and exhale, relaxing muscles and stretching to reach further and further upwards with fingertips. Do this for at least 30-45 seconds, relax, repeat a few times daily.

I am not good at sticking to the program but it does seem to be helping

I was in PT, but the real results came after getting a HM Embody without a headrest. It was uncomfortable for the first six months while my entire body adjusted, but my posture is pretty excellent now, I no longer have sciatica, and my neck muscles are once again capable of supporting the weight of my head without getting stiff or tired.

I'm not a big or heavy guy, and I've historically been athletic, but after a back injury and sitting in bad (yet comfortable) chairs for hours a day over a decade, I didn't notice how deleterious my routine was to my general well being. The problem for me was muscle weakness that led to overcompensation - a few muscles were doing most of the work, and the auxiliary supporting and skeletal muscles weren't able to do their jobs.

Couple that with some regular light full body exercise, and give yourself time. Don't think of posture or neck pain as a targeted problem. Everything that connects is related, especially if you hunch or your abdominals are engaging more than your back.

I did a while ago, first you've gotta fix your setup so the top of the monitor is at eye level. Then do neck bridges; put yourself with your back against the wall, use the back of your head as support and move your body and feet a bit forward while keeping the back of your head as support, keep your neck straight. You'll feel a burn in the back of your neck. The more angle the more the burn.

https://youtu.be/RXhyx-vVG_Y?si=TiQVGASxnIRPQDTl

Do it for 30s, maybe 3 times a day, you can also move your feet forward for more challenge.

Speaking out of my ass: I'd guess your posterior neck muscles grow weak due to the unnatural posture and your frontal/side muscles overpower them. Eitherways, it works.

Here is the problem with chin tucks and other stretching exercises and why they cannot fix your postural problems: You are performing a stretch to lengthen some parts of your body temporarily (while shortening others).

These stretches and exercises may offer relief from pain and increase your mobility, but they will not help you with the _cause_ of your problem.

If you are using your body ineffectively (e.g., when using a computer), you will be reintroducing pain that you will only try to cure with further stretching and exercise. The solution then, is to learn how to use yourself efficiently in the first place, and operate from a position of mechanical advantage, thus preventing the pain in the first place.

Most people don't even have a consistent/coherent definition of "Forward Head Posture" in the first place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF731f9P1dw [Title: You Don't Have Forward Head Posture]

But this guy has the absolute best tutorial for how to use the human body I have ever encountered: https://www.youtube.com/@delsartealexandermasoeroyo9147/play...

This worked well for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT_dFRnmdGs

I'd echo at least seeing a therapist even to get a single diagnosis just to make sure there's nothing more serious going on.

My personal recommendation is to look into the short exercise book "Treat Your Own Neck" by the late physical therapist Robin McKenzie.

surgery-free, ballroom dance teacher fixed mine with insults and side-eye

I also suffer from severe tension headaches and go to a chiropractic clinic. I don't fully understand the theory, but they apparently move my spine back into the correct position by gently rocking it. I've been going for about two months now, and I'm gradually getting better. At the clinic, I'm given several types of exercises, mainly focusing on the muscles around the shoulder blades, and I perform these exercises each time until my next appointment.

Cranio sacral biodynamics therapy

I don’t think this is something you can fix by exercises alone, without assistance.

Yes, I successfully fixed it. The fix was about ten years of regular practice of Chen style Taijiquan with good instruction. It’s not a quick, cheap, or easy fix, and it’s pretty hard to find good instruction, but it solved my problem.

It also seems to have solved RSI issues, but that’s impossible to prove.

I would seriously consider visiting a Rolfer. There was a point where due to period of inactivity and stress, I began having issues which started in the neck and migrated to pain in the wrists also. After some adjustments and time totally fine now.

I forced myself to evaluate my own posture whenever I get up. This was difficult at first but comes naturally now. No special tools, just making a strong mental note each time I forget. It's not been working perfectly but pretty well.

When I have those kind of issues, I sleep directly on the floor for a few hours or a night or two. It’s worked for me many times for many years.

But that’s me, not anyone else.

And it feels uncomfortable for a while, but forces my muscles to relax.

My hobby is ballroom dancing. Strict posture is the name of the game.

To me, it's the ultimate pastime: a musical, social, and physical activity all in one.

Yes, absolutely. It does not take too much effort, either.

People who say you need adjust your posture are mostly incorrect. Your body will assume a slouching position after a while no matter what. You cannot consciously will yourself to just "sit better". Good office chair and placing your screen at the right height do help enormously; these are things that make your body adopt a certain posture subconsciously. But they're not a complete fix.

The only real fix is to work out. Bad posture resolves itself over time if you build up strength in your muscles and tendons, all the way from your legs to your neck, the whole shebang. You can think of your body as a piece of rope. If not adequately exercised, the individual strings will start to sag and the rope goes floppy. Training tightens the whole thing into a stable, tight bundle.

You don't need to go full "gym bro" or even enjoy it. But you need to do regular strength exercises — squats, deadlifts, crunches, the usual — every week. You don't need to do super heavy lifting or intense cardio, just a healthy, generalized workout routine focused on the whole body. In theory you can do this at home. But as someone who's patently not a gym bro, the only way I was able to do this is to get a personal trainer.

I found a wonderful gym where they did small, four-person group classes. There are many of these around, and while they may be pricier than regular gym membership, they're worth it. You get a personalized program with a trainer who monitors your progress carefully and corrects your form and technique, and keeps you motivated.

I wouldn't work out on my own as I would find excuses to stay away, but by setting up a regular appointment twice a week, I kind of forced myself into it. And when you have a trainer you see twice a week, it's much harder to cancel just because you don't feel like working out that day.

Lastly: Stretches (like the classic "stand against a wall" tricks you find online) do not work, because you're just temporarily stretching muscles and tendons. These need to be actively worked out in to build up, and stretching can actually be counterproductive. This is one reason why physiotherapists typically don't recommend yoga and Pilates, which put too much emphasis on stretching rather than strength exercises.

Not that I know anything ... but I keep thinking about getting a neck brace and wear it when I work on a computer. Seems like a 'simple' fix ... but I have made that mistake before (as in think it is a simple fix).

Neck planks, reading while laying on your stomach helps, raise your monitor.

Discipline is the way

yes i was hospitalized from nerve impingement from forward head posture. it was a dark time of my life. now i never work in bed and always use a monitor setup, limit looking down my phone. I promise you this simple rules will make a world of difference.

Most ppl dont reliaze this but forward head posture can also cause acid reflux, stress ect by disrupting your breathing pattern. i am still healing from all those problems and learning to breath normally with my diagraphm

Look into your diaphragm

Tech neck.

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