Dropped head-Chin on chest deformity is a condition arising from the cervical and thoracic spine that results in anywhere from mild to severe inability or difficulty in maintaining proper posture to raise the head and look forward. It can be rigid, which is a structural problem where the head is fixed in a fixed position, or it can be flexible, which relates to muscular fatigue and inability to maintain a proper posture throughout the day.

Symptoms

Symptoms include difficulty looking forward, neck pain, headache, upper back pain, neck fatigue.

Workup

Workup includes in-person clinical evaluation, in addition to specialty cervical X-rays with dynamic flexion/extension views. We obtain either neck to pelvis scoliosis X-rays, or a total body Xray from skull to feet to assess the global structural ramifications of this issue. We often also obtain MRI and CT to assess the status of the nerves and bones causing this condition.

Treatment

Treatment ranges from conservative management including physical therapy, to surgical correction, the specifics of which will be determined by very close attention to a variety of measurements and radiographic studies of the entire spine and body.