Q. Are there different types of straight neck?

Check list A first; if two or more apply, look at what follows as well.

A. Symptoms in the neck and shoulders themselves

• The back of the neck is always stiff
• The neck and shoulders often feel tight
• You sit at work for more than eight hours a day
• The neck is stiff on waking
• Leaning the head back hurts

Zero or one item in A is within the normal range; two or more raises a suspicion of straight neck. If imbalance of the shoulders comes with it, the shoulder joint needs looking at as well; if pelvic imbalance is there too, so does the pelvis.

Straight neck and forward head posture often come together with jaw joint imbalance, a hunched upper back, a curved spine and a rotated pelvis. That is why we do not treat the neck alone; we establish the posture as a whole first.

Treatment starts from balancing the jaw joint and the neck vertebrae, then strengthens the abdomen and pelvis that form the body's centre, releases hardened fascia with Rolfing, and works alongside this with exercise to address left-right imbalance in the neck muscles.