Anterior Head Carriage
Definition
A postural position where the head is positioned forward of the body's center of gravity. Measured as the horizontal distance from the tragus of the ear to the acromion process in lateral view. Normal alignment places the ear directly over the shoulder. Each inch of forward displacement adds approximately 10 pounds of effective load on the cervical spine.
Clinical Significance
Anterior head carriage is one of the most prevalent postural findings in modern populations due to sustained screen use. It loads the posterior cervical musculature chronically, compresses the upper cervical facet joints, stretches the anterior cervical disc, and forces the suboccipital muscles into constant contraction. It is associated with tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches, jaw pain (TMJ), and upper trap hypertonicity. The root cause is typically thoracic kyphosis, not cervical muscle weakness.
How AKMI Assesses This
AKMI measures anterior head carriage through lateral postural photography, quantifying the horizontal offset between ear and shoulder landmarks. The measurement is correlated with thoracic kyphosis and cervical lordosis findings to identify the upstream driver.
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