Cervical lordosis

The vertebral column in the cervical spine is made up of 7 tiny vertebra, transverse foramina for the exit of nerves and essential arteries.  The first vertebra called the atlas supports the head by resting on the condyles of the occipital bone.  The atlas, or the second vertebra contains a dens which extends up into the atlas allowing for most of the pivot or rotation movement of the cervical spine.  The other 5 vertebra collectively allow for rotation, flexion, extension, and lateral flexion. 

Hyperlordosis

The cervical spine forms a lordosis, the thoracic spine a kyphosis, and the lumbar spine again a lordosis.  The cervical and lumbar spine form first and the kyphosis later forms when the child learns to crawl.  The cervical lordosis should range from 35-45^o.  If the lordosis is above this, chiropractors call this a hyperlordosis, below this range is referred to as hypolordosis.  A hyperlordosis ultimately leads to an anterior head carriage posture and typically internally rotated (rounded) shoulders leading to an upper crossed syndrome.  A hypolordodic cervical spine may be so straight that it’s termed a military neck or a straight neck syndrome.  This is equally as imbalanced as the one discussed previously.  More often than not a patient will express a hyperlordosis in the younger years and as they age will express a hypolordotic cervical spine.  These abnormal cervical positions cause hypertonic muscles (spastic) and stretch the opposite ones.  This can lead to pain, dysfunction, limited range of motion, and many times inflammation.