Vital Wellness Weekly

Welcome Back

If your upper back feels tight…
Your neck always aches…
And you feel like you’re shoulders are slowly rolling forward more and more…

You’re not the only one.

In today’s tech driven world, poor posture is almost normal but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with it.

This week we’ll cover:

• How “hunchback” posture really happens

• Why it messes with more than just your shoulders

• Simple daily moves to restore mobility, strength, and alignment. No quitting your desk job required

Let’s get into it.

TL;DR

Rounded/hunchback posture (forward head carriage) comes from long hours of poor posture, stress, and shallow breathing.

It can compress your spine, limit breathing, mess with your nervous system, and cause pain and fatigue.

You can undo it with just a few daily drills: wall angels, scapular retraction, chin tucks, neck isometrics, and band pull-aparts.

This week’s free tool: Cervical Mobility Guide a simple plan to improve neck movement and release tension.

Powered by Dr. Wesley | Brought to you by Vital Adjustment

Table of Contents

• Vital Wellness Weekly

  • TL;DR

  • What is “Hunchback Posture”?

    • How it happens

    • What’s going on inside

  • How Forward Head Carriage Affects Your Body and Br …

  • 5 Daily Exercises to Fight Forward Head Posture

  • Weekly Feature: Cervical Mobility Guide

  • Let’s Connect

  • Final Thoughts

What is “Hunchback Posture”?

Most people call it a “hunchback,” but the real term is forward head carriage.
It’s when your head sits in front of your shoulders instead of stacked directly over them sometimes by a little, sometimes by several inches.

Here’s why that matters: your head weighs about 10–12 pounds. For every inch it moves forward, your neck muscles, joints, and discs take on an extra 15-30 pounds of force. Over time, that’s like carrying a bowling ball on your neck all day.

How it happens

Forward head carriage isn’t caused by one bad day of sitting, it’s a slow build-up from years of micro-habits.

Common causes:

• Hours of screen time — Laptops, tablets, phones. They all pull your gaze down and forward.

• Work setups that fight you — Monitors too low, chairs too soft, desks too high or low.

• Driving posture — Slouched in the seat, chin pushed forward.

• Breathing patterns — Using your neck and chest muscles to breathe instead of your diaphragm.

Your body is a master adapter. Hold a position often long enough, and often enough your muscles, joints, and even bones will start to reorganize themselves to make that position feel normal.

What’s going on inside

Forward head carriage changes how his body moves.

• The muscles in the back of your neck work overtime to hold your head up, while the deep stabilizing muscles in the front (deep neck flexors) get weak and lazy.

• The muscles between your shoulder blades (rhomboids, lower traps) lose strength, so they can’t pull your shoulders back where they belong.

• Your chest muscles tighten and pull your shoulders forward even more.

• The curve in your upper spine becomes more rounded (thoracic kyphosis), while the natural curve in your lower neck flattens out.

• Your neck joints and discs take on extra stress, which can lead to pain and stiffness over time.

And once this pattern sets in, it’s a vicious cycle:

• Tight muscles keep dragging you forward.

• Weak muscles can’t fight back.

• Your brain starts thinking this slouched position is “normal,” making it even harder to stand tall.

How Forward Head Carriage Affects Your Body and Brain

Once forward head carriage sets in it changes how your whole system functions.

• Your breathing takes a hit
  As your head and shoulders drift forward, your ribcage gets compressed. The diaphragm can’t expand fully, so your neck and chest muscles take over the work of breathing. This creates constant tension, headaches, and leaves you feeling tired for no clear reason. Try taking a deep breath in this position, you can’t.

• Your nervous system feels the strain
  That constant forward pull tightens the upper cervical spine, which can:

  • Reduce blood flow to the brain

  • Disrupt nerve communication

  • Interfere with the vagus nerve, affecting digestion, heart rate, and your ability to handle stress

• Your spine wears down faster
  The unnatural load increases pressure on discs and joints, irritates nerves, and accelerates stiffness and degeneration.

• Your energy tanks
  Less oxygen, more muscle tension, and poor nerve signals all add up to brain fog, fatigue, and irritability.

And here’s the worst part most people don’t realize any of this is happening until the symptoms show up in their neck, shoulders, or upper back.

5 Daily Exercises to Fight Forward Head Posture

Posture isn’t fixed by “sitting up straight” all day. You have to retrain your muscles so good alignment feels natural again.

Here’s a simple 5–10 minute routine you can do at home or at your desk:

1. Cervical Range of Motion (1 set of 5 each way)
Keeps your neck joints moving and reduces stiffness.

• Sit or stand tall.

• Slowly turn your head to the right, then to the left.

• Tilt your ear toward your shoulder on each side.

• Nod your chin down toward your chest, then look gently upward.

2. Neck Isometrics (3 directions x 5 reps)
Builds stability and endurance in neck muscles.

• Press your head gently into your hand (forward, side, and back).

• Hold each press for 5–10 seconds.

• Keep your head still — you’re resisting, not moving.

3. Chin Tucks (2 sets of 10)
Strengthens deep neck flexors and corrects forward head position.

• Sit or stand tall.

• Pull your chin straight back (like making a double chin).

• Hold for 5 seconds, then relax.

4. Scapular Retractions (3 sets of 10)
Reactivates mid-back muscles that hold your shoulders back.

• Sit or stand, arms relaxed at sides.

• Squeeze shoulder blades back and down (avoid shrugging).

• Hold for 5 seconds, release slowly.

5. Band Pull-Aparts (2–3 sets of 15)
Strengthens upper back and postural support muscles.

• Hold a resistance band at shoulder height.

• Pull apart until arms are fully extended.

• Control the return don’t let the band snap back.

See Previous video

6. Wall Angels (1–2 sets of 10)
Opens the chest and trains shoulder blade control.

• Stand with back, head, and butt against a wall.

• Raise arms to goalpost position.

• Slowly slide arms up and down, keeping elbows and wrists against the wall.

Weekly Feature: Cervical Mobility Guide

Got a stiff neck, headaches, or trouble turning your head?
This guide walks you through 6 easy drills to:

• Restore neck movement

• Improve blood flow

• Reduce tension from desk work

• And Track your Progress

Grab your free guide here

Let’s Connect

• 📸 Tag your posture progress @VitalAdjustment on all socials

• 📩 Reply to this email with your biggest posture challenge

Your progress could inspire someone else to break free from the slump.

Final Thoughts

Health doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
It just has to start. And today, you’ve already started by showing up here.
So take one thing from this newsletter, actually use it today, and see what happens.

Next week: Lower Back Mobility — how to reduce stiffness and prevent injuries.

Here’s to moving better,
Dr. Wesley

Vitaladjustment.com

P.S. Forward this to someone who needs a posture reset and fix your posture together!