Nothing can be more frustrating than a car headrest that pushes your shoulders and head too forward. For tall car owners like me, one thing I try to avoid is a neck injury while driving.
In this article, I have detailed the step-by-step guide on how to adjust a head restraint. By the end, you learn the best way to fix a headgear that supports head-forward posture.
How to Fix Headrest Forward Posture
While driving, you need to have a perfect posture for your spine, head, and neck to prevent fatigue, injury, and neck pain. One of the ways you can achieve this is to reset the head resistance of your vehicle.
Here’s a fact you need to bear in mind: do not make your headrest protrude backward but forward. The headrest needs to touch the rear of your head for a perfect posture. In other words, the headrest should be angled more forward than backward.
In fact, the closer the resistant is to your head, the better and easier you’re able to prevent injury in case of a rear collision. Things can get tiring and the entire driving experience becomes messy if the headrest tilts too far backwards. It can put your neck in a bad posture.
How do you get the resistant straightened to provide comfort and versatility when you’re on the wheel? Here are headrest modification methods to use.
Method 1: Adjust Seatback
You can try your hand at modifying the seatback backwards. Follow these simple steps:
- Step 1: Allow the seatback to recline a bit more than its default posture.
- Step 2: As you move the seatback backward, place your hand on the back of the headrest
You may notice that the seatback doesn’t offer the needed support and comfort for your neck and spine.
- Step 3: If this happens, try to place a cushion on the seatback. Ensure the length of the cushion you’re putting matches that of the seatback for maximum comfort
- Step 4: Adjust the headrest so it is just 2-in from your rear head. Preferably, allow the resistant to touch or be closest to the back of your head.
Method 2: Adjust Headrest Angle
Adjusting your headrest angle is seamless and quick. Follow these simple steps:
- Step 1: First, sit back in a comfortable upright driving position.
- Step 2: Pull up on the head restraint to raise it. To lower the gear, press and hold down the button at the bottom of the gear before pushing down the head restraint.
- Step 3: If you wish to tilt towards right or left, pull the gear forward and allow it to spring back to its original untilted position.
- Step 4: Pull the restraint forward to the driving position most comfortable for you. Listen to the clicking sound that follows the titling.
- Step 5: If the rest pulls too forward, you can readjust by pulling it forward again and allowing it to return to its initial position.
Method 3: Change the Car Headrest
Yeah, you heard me right. You can change the entire head resistant without causing any damage or disfiguring to your car. Auto dealers can do a good job adjusting or completely providing a replacement resistant for your car. You may be lucky to find a headrest that’s a perfect replacement for the default part.
Again, the one you find may sit at a better angle. On the flip side, what you find may be a little thinner or smaller than the headrest on your car. The good news is that a Dodge headrest can work on a Toyota car. But it’s good to replace the headrest of the same car model. A Chevy headrest on a Chrysler might be a no-no.
There you have it!
Why You Should Adjust Your Head Restraint
A very good question! Let me remind you of a few things we learnt in our elementary biology and physics. When your head is too forward of the body, it becomes too heavy for the body to hold. Hence, the head won’t stay upright. The neck muscles bear a burden for every inch your head is forward of the body.
In fact, the neck will carry almost 10 pounds of load to hold your head upright when the latter is forward of the rest of the body. To relieve the neck of the joints between the tailbone and the head of their overloads due to driving, you must adjust the restraint’s angle.
The other reason for adjusting the head restraint angle is to reinforce your spine’s shock absorber, the double S-shaped spinal inward curvature. This way, your neck can retain its vertical position and your entire spine won’t shorten.
In addition to an aligned adjustable headrest, you also need the headroom and height-adjustable car seats. Plus, a tilting and telescoping steering wheel and spacious legroom will add quality support to comfy sitting.
FAQs
Can I replace a new headrest with an old one?
Absolutely! You can replace a used headrest with a new one and vice versa. It all depends on your preference. But if you’re an aesthetic enthusiast like me, you may not want old wine in a new wine skin. What is crucial is that you should make sure the replacement headrest fits your car.
Final Thoughts
Your comfort should come ahead of yourlove for the newly acquired gas-engine Chrysler 2.4 Tigershark. Interestingly, most auto manufacturers equip vehicles with adjustable head restraints. The versatility allows you to tilt the component up and down to a suitable angle. This way, you can enjoy more driving comfort and flexibility.
I hope this guide helps you understand how to fix the headrest too far forward. The default too-far backward setup by automakers isn’t the correct one for your headrest.
