Comparison of head position relative to body axis while standing and walking

It is generally assumed that in healthy individuals, the head is always carried exactly above the body’s centre of gravity. This can be seen, for example, in the books by Jaqueline Perry and Archibald von Strebel, in which the head is always centred above the centre of gravity in the pictures. In practice, however, we often see that the head is carried forward. This would support the assumption that the increased tension in the dorsal shoulder and neck muscles and the head and neck muscles, in order to keep the head straight, could be one reason for the many neck tensions. So far, only studies using two-dimensional methods (photos) and lead weights have been carried out on head position. The body plumb line according to Kendall is equated with the body’s centre of gravity by him and those who cite him, but is not calculated. With measurements in a gait laboratory, the body’s centre of gravity can be calculated using anthropometric data. This allows us to check whether the two plumb lines really coincide. So far, only studies on head position while standing have been published. There are no results for walking yet.