Health
with Timothy R. Kamerman, D.C.
Your Head Is Like A Bowling Ball In our office, one of the items that gets the most comments is a bowling ball with a broomstick hammered down into it. Someone will usually say, “What in the world is that in here for?” This is one of my favorite educational tools. You see, the human head weighs anywhere from 8 to 12 pounds. That’s right, if you pick up a 10-pound bowling ball, that is about what your head weighs. When I have a patient pick up the bowling ball, they are amazed that their neck is holding up that kind of weight. I usually have them hold the broomstick with the bowling ball balanced on top. As we move it out of the center of gravity, they find it difficult to hold the bowling ball up. As you move your hands down the broomstick, the task becomes even harder, and thus, the patient begins to understand that for every degree of change out of the center of gravity, the stress doubles in the mid back and triples in the lower back. It does not take long before the person holding up the bowling ball starts to realize that your posture is very important as to how your neck and back feels. So, if your head gets a little bit forward of your shoulders, or a little bit back, or to the side, then over time you start to feel fatigued and different parts of the body start to wear. Sometimes the simplest visual aids are the most powerful. Out of all the fancy models we have in the office, none gets the attention like the bowling ball on a broomstick. So the question is, how balanced are you? Where is your bowling ball in reference to the rest of your spine?
Dr. Kamerman holds a bowling ball on a broomstick, representing the weight of a human head.
About the Writer Dr. Tim Kamerman is the founder of The Chiropractic Care Clinic on Hawkins Drive in Searcy. If you have any questions, comments, or would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kamerman, please call (501) 268-2273
52 Your Hometown Magazine