Forward head posture is often blamed for neck and shoulder pain. But could this posture also affect how the brain works?

A recent study compared people with a forward head posture to those with a normal posture, focusing on how well the brain and muscles coordinate during balance tasks. Participants were asked to perform balance exercises of varying difficulty while researchers measured both brain activity and muscle responses.

The results showed that people with a forward head posture needed to recruit their brain more intensively to control their muscles when performing challenging balance tasks. In other words, the way you hold your head can directly increase the workload on your brain.

Researchers suggest that forward head posture may force the brain to “work overtime” to maintain balance, especially in demanding or unstable situations.

Posture, then, is not just about appearance—it also plays a key role in how efficiently the brain and body work together to keep us stable. Small daily adjustments may help reduce unnecessary strain on both the neck and the brain.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-06603-8