Table 5

Muscles involved in sagittal shift of the head

Anterior sagittal shift
‘Goose-neck posture’		Posterior sagittal shift
‘Double-chin posture’
Head attachment musclesBilateral sternocleidomastoid
Bilateral splenius capitis		Bilateral longus colli
Bilateral sternocleidomastoid
Supra-hyoid muscles

  • The anterior sagittal shift of the head, also called ‘goose-neck posture’, can be the first step of the swing of the head backward with extension of head on cervical spine and cervical spine on thoracic spine. The posterior sagittal shift of the head also called ‘double-chin posture’, can be the first step of the swing of the head forward with flexion of head on cervical spine and cervical spine on thoracic spine.