Many of us spend hours each day hunched over screens — scrolling through social media, streaming videos, or simply getting some much-needed work done. But while it’s true that technology keeps us connected and productive, it also tends to fuel a not-so-healthy habit: forward head posture (FHP).
If you’ve caught yourself rounding your back and craning your neck forward lately, you might already be paying more attention to your alignment while you sit and scroll. But if that posture also comes with pain and muscle tension, could massage therapy help?
Below, we’ll explore the benefits of massage for forward head posture, along with some easy techniques and additional tips to improve your posture long-term.
What Is Forward Head Posture, and What Causes It?
Put simply, forward head posture is exactly what it sounds like: head positioning that is in front of your spine and shoulders.
In healthy posture, your head is in line with the shoulders, following the subtle, natural curves of your spine. But with FHP, your neck is angled forward, typically accompanied by a rounded back and an upward chin angle. This misalignment puts extra strain on the bones and muscles that support your neck, back, and shoulders — often bringing pain and tension along with it.
While screen time is a major culprit behind FHP, it’s not the only reason it happens. Other factors, habits, and even some health conditions can contribute to it. These include:
- Hunching forward while driving, reading, or relaxing
- Arthritis
- Scoliosis
- Weak core and back muscles
- Slouching or having weak standing posture
- Sleeping with your head upright
Key Muscles Affected By Forward Head Posture
Your muscles rely on a delicate balance of activation, flexibility, and strength to keep your body aligned. But when you have forward head posture, it can disrupt the relationship between these muscles — resulting in imbalances and pain. Some of the muscles most affected include:
- The deep neck flexors, including the longus capitis and longus colli. These help with neck stability and can become strained due to FHP.
- Scapular muscles, including the rhomboids, lower trapezius, infraspinatus, and teres minor. These muscles can also become overstretched and weakened due to FHP.
- The upper spine muscles, upper traps, and pecs, which can become tight and overworked due to FHP.
Side Effects of Forward Head Posture
It probably comes as no surprise that forward head posture strains your body, but it can have a bigger impact than you might expect. Some of the side effects of long-term FHP include:
- Muscle pain and stiffness, which can show up in the muscles that are overworking — like the upper back and pec muscles — and the muscles that are weakened and overstretched, like those in the neck and middle back.
- Rounded shoulders, which may cause pain, affect lung capacity, and even affect mood and stress levels.
- Balance issues. Research suggests that FHP could negatively affect some aspects of balance and stability.
Should You See a Doctor for Forward Head Posture?
Forward head posture is often directly tied to everyday habits. And sometimes, simply getting more in tune with your head positioning while you sit, stand, and relax can help you correct it. With that said, when it’s caused by an underlying condition — or leading to other symptoms in your daily life — it’s a good idea to see your doctor.
Be sure to talk to a healthcare professional if you notice:
- Neck pain that doesn’t improve or gets worse over time
- A spinal curve that doesn’t get better despite you making postural changes
- Persistent stiffness in the upper back or neck joints
- Headaches
- Numbness or tingling in your hands or fingers, which could signal nerve compression
- Balance problems or dizziness
How Can Massage Help Forward Head Posture?
When it comes to forward head posture, massage can be a great tool for easing pain and stimulating muscles that might be underactive. Here’s a closer look at some of the benefits you might experience when adding it to your posture self-care plan:
Reduces Muscle Tension
When your neck isn’t stacked above your shoulders, certain upper body muscles have to work harder to keep your head upright. This can cause serious tension in areas like the:
- Back of the neck
- Upper back muscles — especially the middle and upper traps
- Chest muscles including the pectoralis minor and major
The good news is that the soothing pressure of massage can melt away muscle tension. Techniques like effleurage — with its light, sweeping motions — help warm up the muscles and boost their elasticity.
Once the muscles are warmed up, deeper pressure can help target bands of tightness in the fascia, or the connective tissue throughout the body. It’s also excellent for releasing trigger points (or knots) that often form around the shoulder blades.
Supports Bodily Awareness and Balance
The touch of massage stimulates your nerves, which can help you build a deeper sense of mind-muscle connection in the upper body. In the long term, it could even promote a better sense of balance and stability — two areas that forward head posture can take a toll on.
In one small 2012 study, researchers looked at the effects of a one-hour full body massage on elderly adults’ balance and stability. They found that although the results weren’t immediate, those in the massage group appeared steadier over the next 60 minutes compared to the control group.
Soothes Pain
Massage is great for tense, tight muscles. But it can also be powerful at relieving pain — especially in the neck and shoulders, which often become irritated and sore due to forward head posture.
One 2013 review of studies found that massage has short-term positive effects on many types of neck and shoulder pain, bringing relief that was on par with other active therapies. Plus, it may also be able to soothe muscle-related headache pain that can stem from poor posture.
One especially helpful technique is craniosacral therapy, which focuses on the delicate muscles of the scalp and neck. Not only can it help with head and neck pain, but it also supports emotional well-being and relaxation — both of which may indirectly reduce the tension that comes with FHP.
Eases Stress
One of the most important (but underappreciated) benefits of massage for forward head posture? Its ability to ease stress.
Stress and posture have an interconnected relationship, meaning tension in the upper body can cause — or be caused by — stress. In other words, forward head posture can stem from anxious emotional states, and research suggests slouching may also bring on negative emotions.
Luckily, a soothing massage can signal to your body that it’s safe to relax, triggering endorphins and activating your body’s “rest and digest” system. This can lead to a calmer heart rate, slower breathing, and relaxed muscles that allow you to more easily settle into healthy posture.
Massage Techniques for Forward Head Posture
Here are four easy self-massage techniques to help you target the muscles most affected by forward head posture:
Note: Some conditions that cause poor posture and upper body pain can be serious. Be sure to check with your doctor before trying massage to ensure it’s safe for you.
Chest Muscle Massage
At first glance, the pectoralis major and minor might not seem like they have anything to do with forward head posture. But the truth is, these muscles can become tight and shortened when you’re angled forward for long periods — especially when your shoulders are slouched or rounded.
With that in mind, here’s an easy self-massage to help you mobilize, lengthen, and soothe these busy muscles:
- Place your fingers at the start of your pectoralis major muscle, just outside of the sternum (the bony area in the center of your chest).
- Using gentle pressure, begin to massage outward toward the shoulder with moderate pressure. Repeat for 2–3 minutes.
- Optionally, for a deeper massage, you can use your knuckles to glide across the pecs for a few minutes more.
Gentle Hands-On Neck Massage
The deep muscles in the back of your neck are often some of the first to become strained and overstretched due to forward posture. To help break up tension and trigger points here, this quick hands-on neck massage can help:
- Begin by sitting comfortably. Take a few deep breaths, intending to relax your muscles.
- Gently squeeze your shoulder blades together to straighten your posture.
- Use one hand to gently pull your head to the side until you feel a stretch in your neck. Hold for five seconds.
- Repeat with the other side.
- With both hands, massage in gentle squeezing motions up the back of the neck for 1–2 minutes.
- Next, you’ll use your fingers to gently spread the muscles. Start at the base of the head, and begin to massage the neck muscles in outward gliding motions.
- Continue the gliding motions downward, making your way to the top of the back. Repeat for another 1–2 minutes.
Back Massage With Body Massager
To simplify your self-massage experience, it may be worth trying an expert-trusted massager like the MedMassager Body Massager Plus. This tool offers a broad massage surface that combines oscillation — or soothing, circular pressure — with vibration to stimulate the tissue and promote blood flow.
Here are the simple steps to using a massager like this one on the upper back:
- Start the massager to the lightest setting,
- Situate the massager between your back muscles and a high-back chair.
- Lean back and allow the gentle vibrations to warm up your upper back muscles for 60 seconds.
- Once the muscles are warmed up, you can optionally dial up the pressure to work deeper into the tissue.
- Adjust the massager’s positioning to focus on different back muscles as needed.
- Massage for a total of 5–10 minutes, up to a few times per day.
Back and Chest Massage Gun Session
If you’re looking to target specific trigger points quickly, a massage gun like the Accuvibe Mini can be a great option. This handheld tool uses percussive massage to deeply soothe the muscles and fascia, all while breaking up knots and supporting mobility.
To use a massage gun on the large muscles impacted by forward head posture, simply:
Note: Massage guns are powerful and should not be used directly on delicate areas like the neck, underarms, spine, or other bony spots. However, they can work well on areas with larger, tough muscles like those in the upper back or pectoral region.
- Turn the massage gun to a light-pressure setting.
- Begin by finding your pectoralis (chest) muscles. These muscles stretch from the outside of the sternum to the shoulder.
- Glide the massage gun vertically to massage across the pectoralis muscle fibers. Spend 30 seconds on each side.
- Then, reach over your shoulder to massage the trapezius muscle. (You can find this muscle at the very top of the back, on both sides of the neck.)
- Glide the massager at an angle across each trapezius muscle for 30–60 seconds, being sure to steer clear of the neck and sticking to the upper back.
Other Ways To Combat Forward Head Posture
Forward head posture doesn’t happen overnight, meaning it will take time — and small, intentional habit shifts — to correct it. In the long run, the best steps include a mix of mindfully watching your posture while you sit, work, and stand, as well as addressing any muscle imbalances that might be pulling you out of alignment.
With all this in mind, here are a few key changes that can help you see healthier head posture over time:
Check Your Head Positioning Throughout the Day
Imagine how your posture looks throughout the day — even right now, as you’re reading this blog post. When you pause to think about it, you might notice that your neck cranes forward while you’re doing everything from looking at a screen to driving or even cooking a meal.
With that said, the first step in fixing FHP is noticing when your head and neck creep forward — and using those moments to shift back into healthy alignment. Some simple tips for better posture include:
- Avoid rounding your back forward.
- Stack your head above your shoulders, with your shoulders in line with your hips.
- Aim for a neutral spine. (It can be easy to overcorrect forward head posture by excessively curving your spine forward. Instead, aim to keep it relatively neutral.)
- Keep your chin slightly tucked (but not too much) while looking forward.
Exercises To Build Postural Awareness
It’s true that FHP can cause tight, overactive, and underactive muscles. But when it comes to exercises for better head posture, the best ones to start with are those that help you become more aware of your head and neck position — in turn building muscle memory for healthy alignment.
Some helpful movements include:
Wall Posture Exercise
This wall posture exercise provides a simple way to begin understanding what upright head posture does (and doesn’t) feel like. Simply:
- Stand with your back and head against a wall.
- Lean your head forward, paying attention to how this forward head posture feels.
- Bring your head back against the wall, in line with your back.
- Hold for 2–3 seconds, taking note of how a healthy spine position feels.
- Repeat for three sets of 8–10 reps.
Chin Alignment Awareness Exercise
From the wall posture exercise, you can also practice holding your chin (and eyes) in their neutral positions. Here’s how:
- Stand straight with your head and back against the wall.
- Rotate your chin slightly upward.
- Then, tilt your chin back to a neutral position, so that your eyes are looking out in front of you. Hold for 2–3 seconds.
- Tuck your chin downward, taking note of how your head and neck feel.
- Repeat for three sets of 8-10 reps, paying special attention to the difference between your neutral, downward, and upward chin positions.
The Takeaway on Massage for Forward Head Posture
When it comes to fixing forward head posture, simply becoming more mindful of your body’s positioning is one of the best places to start. Along the way, regular massage can help you soothe sore, strained muscles caused by FHP — and its gentle, stimulating pressure can even work to support your sense of bodily awareness.
Be sure to talk to your doctor if you have neck or upper body pain, as some sources of this pain can be serious. Once you’re ready to add massage into your posture self-care routine, you can get started with simple self-massage or try a trusted tool like those from MedMassager.
Pick up the MedMassager Body Massager Plus today, or learn more about how it works here.
