How your head affects movement

The human head weighs 6 to 7 kg. That’s a lot of weight to hold up in the air, perched at the top of our backbone. It’s like balancing a bowling ball at the top of a flexible pole.

Yet that’s exactly what our musculoskeletal system is adapted to do: place our eyes and ears high up, to give us a wide view of opportunities and early warning of dangers. Our system also gives the head freedom to direct the eyes and ears as we wish without effort.

This requires our entire system to work in tandem, so that any small movement of the head can be accommodated by reorganisation of the vertebral column and centre of balance, enabling us to hold the head without unnecessary tension in neck, back, shoulders. Optimal self-organisation is when we use the minimum muscle tone needed, and no more.

This is a complex puzzle to master. No wonder we often feel stiffness or pain, especially in occupations which require us to sit or stand still for long periods.

In moving our head, we often let the eyes lead. But, as humans, both our eyes are forward of our mid-line. Too much reliance on following our eyes can bring us out of balance. Try it: turn your head a bit to the left and to the right. How much is this movement led by your eyes? How are you using neck, upper back, upper chest? What does it change if instead, you lead with your ears – for example, turning your head to listen to something behind you? Put less attention in your eyes, let your gaze widen without trying to focus on anything. And put more attention in your ears, listening out from the sides of your head. Can you stay softer in your upper back and chest while turning your head? The ears are more symmetrically placed around the spine than the eyes, and lead a subtly different movement.

How to find the most comfortable placement of the head?  Experiment with tiny movements, always staying within a small, comfortable range. For example, make circles with the tip of your nose. Notice what that asks of head, neck, back and chest. Then make circles with the top of your head, with each ear, with the back of your head. Keep your breathing free and jaw relaxed. After a few minutes, stop the movement and feel what’s changed – how does your neck feel? Your upper back and upper chest? How tall do you feel?

To what extent do your eyes lead your movements? What other parts of your self do you lead with? Please leave a comment.