Hi, Dr. Steph here, your chiropractor for headaches in Sun Prairie WI. And I would like to show you some exercises and stretches for headaches, specifically tension headaches, and how to help relieve them at home.
So before we do this, I just want to start with some really basic range of motion exercises.
First Exercise from Your Chiropractor for Headache Relief
So feel free to follow along with me. The first one was just going to be a rotation of your head.
So we’ll start by looking to my right. And when you do range of motion, when you’re turning your head, you’ll feel that you can get to an end point.
So most people, if they’re just doing this to do this, will stop at that end point. What I want you to do is to actually press pass that end point.
So you should feel a little bit more stretched once you push past that barrier.
So here, and then for me, it’s moving it to about here. So you’re going to hold anywhere between 15 to 20 seconds.
When you’re done with that side, you’ll go ahead, same concept, other side. So you’re going to turn, there’s my end point. And then I’m pushing past there. Same thing, hold 15 to 20 seconds.
We’ve got rotation done.
Second Exercise from Your Chiropractor for Headache Relief
Now we’re going to do a flexion. So I’ll have you bring ear to your shoulder, not cheating, not shoulder to ear like this, but bringing ear to your shoulder.
Hit that end point and then really press past it. And you should feel this really stretching here. Again, same thing other side, ear to shoulder, press past there, feel the stretch here.
Third Exercise from Your Chiropractor for Headache Relief
Lastly, we’ll do flexion extension. So just bringing your chin down to your chest, feel the endpoint pushing past. I’m going to sound like somebody stuck on repeat, same thing with extension, lean your head backwards, and then really let it relaxing back into your shoulders.
Okay, if you don’t quite feel warmed up just with that, you can do another round.
When you feel like you’re ready to do some strengthening exercises, we’ll do isometrics.
So basically just holding some contraction against your hand. So we’ll still do the rotation, but this time you’re going to take your left hand, put it on the left side of your face.
And then you’re going to push against your hand. So now I’m pushing in with my hand.
Not a lot of pressure, just a little bit of contraction, and you can hold for 10 seconds or so.
Then you’ll do the same thing, right hand, right side of the face, pushing against here, holding,
contracting 10 seconds or so. Release that.
You already know what we’re doing next. We’re going to do side. So this time, right hand right side, you’re going to push up this way. Really contracting the muscles here. Same thing other side, hand here, pushing up and contracting.
You might hear some crunching, some popping, it’s okay. Hopefully you’re getting adjusted.
Anyway we can take care of that. But a lot of times that’s just some of the bones in your neck moving around.
Okay. Same concept with flexion, you’re going to push forward. And then this time you’re going to put your hand on your forehead and push down just like this.
Kind of hard to do in a video and backwards, leaning your head back, pushing against your head like that.
All right. So if you’re having a headache, I recommend doing a couple of those first range of motion stretches, and then the exercises.
When you’re done with that, it’s always a good idea to reset your posture. So what do you mean by that? Is making sure that you’re standing if you’ve been sitting and then really bringing your
shoulders backward and pinching in between your shoulder blades.
So you can have your hands out like this, you can roll your shoulders. If this feels weird,
you can always try just doing shoulder rolls up and down like this, and then forward and backward.
Do about 10 per side. If you have shoulder issues or if things are popping and making weird noises and you just feel uncomfortable. Then just do holding for four to five seconds, release,
hold four to five seconds and then release.
So there you have it. If you’re having any headaches, specifically tension headaches, go ahead and give these exercises a try, hope they help.
Thanks.
