Body & Balance Studio
Posture scan

Head Tilt

Also known as: lateral head tilt, cervical side-bend.

What it is

A head tilt is lateral flexion of the neck — the head leans toward one shoulder so the line through the ears is no longer level. Small tilts are common; persistent ones often reflect an asymmetry in the lateral neck muscles.

How to spot it

From a front photo, the line connecting the ears (or eyes) is tilted off horizontal. Our scan reports the tilt angle, corrected for any camera roll.

Muscles involved

Muscles involved in Head Tilt, front view — typically tight muscles in coral, typically weak in teal
Front (anterior) view
Muscles involved in Head Tilt, back view — typically tight muscles in coral, typically weak in teal
Back (posterior) view

Coral = typically tight, teal = typically weak. Anatomical illustration from Z-Anatomy (derived from BodyParts3D), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Typically tight: upper trapezius, levator scapulae, scalenes, sternocleidomastoid

Typically weak: contralateral lateral neck flexors

How to correct it

  • Stretch the tight lateral neck flexors on the tilt side.
  • Restore even side-bending mobility both directions.
  • Cue a level gaze and ear-over-shoulder alignment.
Posterior Neck Stretch (Chin Tuck, Supine)stretch · neckLateral Neck Flexor Stretch (Side Tilt)stretch · neckLateral Neck Flexion Stretchstretch · neck
upper trapeziuslevator scapulaescalenessternocleidomastoidcontralateral lateral neck flexors

Educational wellness content — not a diagnosis. See a clinician for pain or concerns. Run a posture scan to check your own alignment.