From Nose to Toes

Big news.. Are you sitting down for this? Are you leaning on something? You MIGHT be at risk or currently struggling from TECH NECK. A mild condition that I like to call “Death by a thousand paper cuts.” Dramatic? 🙂 Why yes it is, but I believe it to be true! The fact is, our tissue is connected; from our Nose to our Toes, and we have the power to strengthen our body’s function, by lengthening and strengthening the muscles necessary for sitting.

Both in my personal and professional life, I am learning that Tech Neck and/or Bad Posture, goes so much deeper than just the occasional “stiff neck, loud and abrupt crack from your spouses head turn, or sharp pain and tightness in your lower back.” If you bring attention to your posture while sitting, I would bet you not only have tech neck, but you are probably rounding your back somewhere along the lines of middle-to-lower-back, creating an extra belly wrinkle and even shorter hip flexors. By tilting your hips upward (what happens when you round or hunch your back), you also drop your chest down in response, and worsen the tightness in your Tech Neck. Oy vay.

With all of that constriction centered around your spine, abdominal core muscles and spinal cord, your body’s natural ability to maintain equilibrium is hindered. I have observed that a lot more than a few inches of height are at stake if this posture is normalized; no matter what age or stage of life you are in! Why would a Speech Language Pathologist and feeding specialist care about this.. this posture suppresses digestion, challenges head/neck support, neurologic innervation, lymphatic detoxification, and sniffles dental alignment and overall cleanliness. Sadly, wearing masks for prolonged periods of time (even if it was over two years ago..) has also contributed to the alteration of our facial muscles and skeletol alignment; affecting chewing patterns and breathing habits to compensate for the adjustments of our facial coverings.

Another way to look at it is in relation to growth. As a child grows, we see direct correlation between one’s tongue function and their core strength and mobility. Similarly, as an adult ages, we see direct correlation between one’s tongue function and their core weakness and immobility. And even though it is only a correlation, you can understand how articulation, rate of speech and fluency, as well as feeding and oral function could all impacted by our posture. When we are young and developing these skills initially, we have reduced ability in self-feeding, self-expression, and in safety in movements (fine and gross coordination).

And as we age gracefully, perhaps while in recovery, or on our own volition, we might start to struggle with oral management of certain foods, or restrictions in swallow reaction time or response time. We might also struggle with the articulation of certain words, impacted by fatigue or novelty. This might even cause avoidance of specific foods that you begin to associate with hardship in consumption; deepening your preference for familiar and easier to eat foods, familiar listeners, or more of a sedentary lifestyle. Sound similar to any young children who only like chicken nuggets, or yogurt drinks that are easy and safe to swallow? Just an interesting concept, isn’t it?

The great news is.. its never too late. Our tissue is connected from our Nose to our Toes! Strategies to Combat the Effects of TECH NECK:

1. Pay attention to HOW you are sitting; when you need to sit. as a lot of research today dives into the benefit of postural stability during mealtimes, and now I utilize the 90-90-90 rule for all ages and stages of oral development. Ninety degrees at the ankles, knees, and hips: stabilizing the trunk, and isolating the superior portion of your body: your shoulders, your neck, and your head.
2. There is always time for more TUMMY time! That’s right, folks.. #itsnotjustforbabies! Try laying on your stomach while watching television, reviewing email, or while you spend time with your friends. Its strange at first, but then your body craves it, and you will be surprised at how quickly your stretching changes, adapts and lengthens your body! Some of the best conversations of my life, have happened while we were sitting on the floor (note .. dog beds are the best throw pillows and bolsters you can buy!)
3. Take long walks, daily, and make sure to stretch your body feel the heat a little bit.
4. Enlist in your local yoga studio, for an added postural community and heightened body awareness element. Many years ago, I was reminded that the tissue in our body is connected from our nose to our toes. Prior to that, I had trained to become a dancer, yoga instructor and an aerial flyer. After a few months apart, I remember my father said “You stand so differently now, taller somehow.” Its amazing really, the ability to connect tissues in our body just by connecting our movements to our breath; increasing our body awareness, and enhancing our sociemotional attention. I have had a similar result in adding postural adjustments to feeding therapy.

Now I kindly request that you stand up and stretch, reaching as high as your can, and dropping your head back; to aim your nose to the skies, and then press your toes down into the ground and then take a deep breath in! Do you feel more space? Do you feel more grounded? Do you notice any tightness or resistance? Leave a comment below, or give a shoutout to your favorite yoga instructor!