5 Best Exercises for Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are one of the most common presenting complaints we see here at Keilor Road Physiotherapy, which makes us experts in tension headache treatment and relief. Stress headaches have become more prevalent over the last 2 years with an increase in working from home (or living from work as we call it), often with poor ergonomic setup. We offer advice with regard to the best work from home setup here.
What are tension headaches?
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache, with some estimating them to make up nearly 90% of all benign headaches. Increased stress on the muscles and joints of the upper neck, caused by poor working postures (prolonged sitting, working in awkward neck postures) can cause irritation of the structures of the neck resulting in a headache. Tension type headaches may present as a squeezing sensation around the front of the head and are often felt on both sides rather than one side alone.
Common causes of headaches
Tension headaches may arise due to:
- poor posture
- stress
- sleep deprivation and poor pillow ergonomics
- prolonged positioning of the head or neck and
- eye strain
It is vital to identify the predominant contributing factors to your tension headache. The experienced team at Keilor Road Physiotherapy places importance on treating not only the symptoms but targeting the underlying cause of your head and/or neck pain and guiding you as to the best exercises for headaches.
5 Best Exercises for Tension Headaches
1) Upper trapezius stretch
A great place to start is to stretch your upper trapezius, the big muscles on the top of your shoulder blades.
Practice stretching your upper trapezius muscles by tilting your head away from the shoulder you want to stretch. You can some gentle overpressure using your hand on the side of your head to increase the stretch.
Stretch your trapezius by holding for at least 30 secs, before relaxing. Complete this once a day.
Best stretch for tension headaches.
2) Neck rotation stretch with overpressure
Start by sitting tall - imagine you are being pulled up by your hair, shoulders slightly back, chin slightly tucked in and head facing forward. Slowly rotate the head to the left keeping the line of sight towards the horizon (not looking up or down). When you get to a position where the neck reaches an end point (which should be pain free) with a stretch, pause for 1 second and then turn the head back through centre and to the right. Repeat this in a slow controlled motion for 3 sets of 30 seconds with a short 15 second break in between.
Head rotations for tension headaches.
3) Scapula retraction exercises
Sit/stand up as tall as possible. Pull your shoulders backwards to squeeze your shoulder blades together at the back.
Hold for a moment and then relax, repeat for 5-10 times, keeping your head and chest up.
Scapula squeezes for headaches.
4) Chin tucks
Start by sitting tall. Place a pointer finger on your chin. Gently press your index finger into your chin to retract your chin and engage the muscles in the back of the neck (where it connects to the skull). Hold this posture for 5-10 seconds and rest 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
Chin tucks for tension headaches.
5) Cat cow stretches
Start on your hands and knees. Think of spine as a central axis linking the head to the pelvis and keep the neck long. Inhale and arch your back to perform the cow pose. Tilt your pelvis forward so the belly drops down but keep your navel tucked in to activate your core. The neck should move last. Exhale and tip your pelvis forward so you tuck your tailbone to perform the cat pose. Let this action move up your spine, it will naturally round. Repeat 5 to 10 times with slow, controlled movement.
Best exercise for stress headaches.
What else you can do to relieve your headache?
There are a myriad of other lifestyle factors that can be changed to help with your tension headaches. All of which should be guided by a health professional. Some of these include:
- regular exercise
- good sleep hygiene including pillow and mattress height and density
- posture re-education and
- muscle strengthening and stretching including the thoracic spine and lumbar spine. You can see the best exercise for back pain here.
Interestingly, dry needling has been found to relieve symptoms in some patients. We have several physiotherapists here at Keilor Road Physiotherapy that specialize in dry needling for headaches.
KRP treatment philosophy for tension headaches.
Looking for the best tension headache treatment? All of the physiotherapists here at Keilor Road Physiotherapy are experts in diagnosing the underlying cause of headaches. Following a comprehensive physical assessment your physiotherapist will take time to explain the causes and anatomy that are related to your headache symptoms.
Keilor Road Physiotherapy’s philosophy is to ensure that all patients are provided with a tailored health plan that is specific to them, this will include goal setting and education regarding expectations for recovery and treatment timeframes.
There is a range of treatment techniques that your therapist may decide is appropriate for you. These may include:
Manual therapy including joint mobilisations and massage to improve joint mobility and stiffness.
Targeted exercise program to improve postural strength and to reduce load on over stressed muscles.
Deep neck stabiliser strength.
Pain management modalities including ice/heat.
Postural analysis and ergonomic advice for the workplace, car or sleeping and advice on assistive devices such as pillows, desks and supports.
Stress management, mindfulness and lifestyle advice.
Referral to appropriate medical or allied health services when indicated.
Keilor Road Physiotherapy are the experts at reducing tension headache treatment and relief. Servicing Niddrie, Essendon, Airport West, Keilor & Melbourne’s Northern suburbs for over 40 years, you can book with one of our highly trained Physiotherapists below or call 93794557 to speak to one of our admin superstars.
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Article by
Grace Hibbs | Physiotherapist
Grace graduated from Charles Sturt University with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy in 2018, including the award for overall Academic Achievement in her cohort. Since then, she has completed further study in Strength and Conditioning.