Cervical Spine Alignment

The drill targets proper neck alignment as one of its three simultaneous training capacities. The neck position is meant to place the cervical spine in a neutral, decompressed alignment. Slight occipitoatlantal extension can open the upper airway and allow more air movement. Deep neck flexor activity is less important as an isolated focus than head orientation, airway position, and sequencing of reset skills. Lifting the chin away from the neck decompresses the cervical spine. The neck cue begins by moving the chin away from the nape of the neck. Proper cervical spine alignment was presented as a mechanism supporting improved cranial fluid flow. The dual-pillow setup helped the sleeper maintain cervical spine alignment through the night. The preferred head cue is slight occipitoatlantal extension, with the chin gently moving slightly away from the neck. The head is turned slightly downward after cervical lengthening. The effective pillow configuration depended partly on neck support from a thin pillow and a neck-indentation pillow. The head cue should be a small head movement rather than a large neck extension. The correct head position is neutral — neither tucked nor extended. Pi…