Forward Head

The tragus sits ahead of the plumb line dropped from the shoulder.

Default tier Low Records 8 Station Head and Neck

What this describes

Forward head describes the head being carried ahead of the gravity line rather than stacked over the shoulders. It is measured, not guessed: you need a vertical reference (a plumb line, a doorframe edge, or a plumb overlay on a side photo) and one bone landmark, usually the tragus or the occiput. Small amounts are ordinary, especially in the last hour of a long desk session; the reading matters when it is present at rest, on both sides, and does not clear when you are asked to sit tall.

Three-grade thresholds

Grade	Threshold
Within range	Tragus 0–15 mm anterior to the plumb line; clears to within 5 mm when asked to sit tall.
Borderline	Tragus 16–30 mm anterior; partially clears on cue but drifts back within 2 minutes.
Deviated	Tragus more than 30 mm anterior at rest, no change on cue, or a visible break in the ear–shoulder line from the side.

Self-screens for Forward Head on this site

Reviewed 17 Sep 2026 Low lateral

Seated Head Drift Timer

Sit at your own desk, work normally, and time how long it takes for the head to drift forward of the shoulder line. This screen measures the position you did not choose.
Reviewed 21 Sep 2026 Moderate lateral

Deep Neck Flexor Hold Test

A light nod, held on the back, timed until the chin lifts. It measures holding capacity rather than range, and the way the hold fails is the useful part.
Reviewed 18 Sep 2026 Moderate lateral

Supine Occiput Gap

Lie flat and measure the space under the back of the skull. It removes gravity from the equation and reads the neck's resting position with nothing to hold up.
Reviewed 12 Sep 2026 Low lateral

Chin Tuck Release Check

Correct the head position, hold it, release, and time how long it survives. This screen measures the release, not the tuck — how long the correction lasts without supervision.
Reviewed 14 Sep 2026 Moderate frontal

Craniovertebral Angle from a Phone Photo

The angle between the tragus-to-C7 line and the horizontal, read from a single lateral photograph. One number, one frame, one camera distance held constant.
Reviewed 6 Sep 2026 Moderate both

Side Photo Tragus Angle

A lateral photograph with two marks on it: the tragus and the C7 spine. The angle of that line away from vertical is the reading, and the cued photo shows whether it is reversible.
Reviewed 23 Aug 2026 Low lateral

Doorframe Occiput Drop

A pencil, a door frame and 45 seconds. Mark where the back of the head touches, let the head settle, mark again, and measure the drift between the marks.
Reviewed 3 Aug 2026 Low lateral

Wall Tragus Line Test

The simplest forward-head screen there is: a wall, a ruler, and the distance from the tragus to a vertical line. Two readings decide it — the resting gap and whether the gap closes on cue.