Hey guys! This is Dr. David, Physical Therapist.

I want to talk to you all about headrests in cars.

They’re a very important safety feature that is rarely talked about.

Before I move on, I want you to know that I’m not driving right now.

I am parked at this time, but the tips here are for when you are driving.

If you’re like most people, you probably never think about your headrest while driving.

…and you probably drive without ever using it.

As the name implies, your head should rest on that headreast.

But most people drive with a huge gap between the back of their head and the surface of the headrest.

So what you’ve got to do is shove your head back on the headrest. When you’ve got to turn your car, try to leave your head on the headrest as you’re turning.

When you’ve got to turn your car, try to leave your head on the headrest as you’re turning.

Now there will be situations where you’ll need to come off the headrest to turn around to check your blind spot or look around a tough corner.

But if you’re driving relatively straight, try to keep your head on the headrest and just turn your head when your need to.

How is the headrest a safety feature???

If you’re ever rear ended, your head might go thru a whiplash motion where the head is whipped forward and then back very fast.

Think of cracking a whip or a wet towel – you pull it back then throw it forward to get that snap.

This is extremely dangerous when talking about your neck because of all the ligaments, discs, nerves and muscles that are there. This can cause a very painful injury.

If your head is off the headrest, you’re allowing yourself to be vulnerable to complete the whiplash motion in the event that you’re rear-ended.

But if you’re head is on the headrest, you’ll break up that whiplash motion so that you only go through part of it.

This can dramatically reduce the amount of injury you will sustain if you’re ever in a car accident.

You might have heard of a medical term called “forward head posture”. It means that your chin is sticking out and your head is forward relative to the rest of your body.

If you feel like you’ve got forward head posture, or maybe you’ve been told that you’ve got forward head posture ->>  chances are that you are driving with forward head posture.

Start thinking about your posture while driving. Be sure to get your head onto that headrest. It’ll save you from serious injury in the event of a car accident.

I hope this helps! Have a great day!