4 Best Neck Stretches for Tension Headaches

Forward head postures can cause chronic shortening of the suboccipitals, the muscles at the base of the skull, whose main function is to rock and tilt the head into extension.

Tightness in the suboccipitals can lead to a lack of blood flow and trigger points, resulting in a headache-like pain pattern.

Next to back pain, a stiff neck and tension headaches are the most common complaints that clients flock to my massage office with.

Most of the time, tension-related headaches are cervicogenic, meaning the head pain is referred from the bony structures or soft tissues of the neck.

Tension headaches are one of the most common types of headaches that I see in my massage practice.

Symptoms range from a mild to moderate pain in the head that feels like there’s tight vice strapped around your noggin.

Mountains of stress, coupled with bad forward head posture, can easily trigger a tension headache.
Taking over-the-counter pain relief can sometimes stop a headache in its tracks, but more often than not, it will come back.

4 Best Neck Stretches for Tension Headaches

I have found that the following four neck stretches can help reduce a tension headache.

1. Chin Tuck

The head retraction exercise (commonly referred to as chin tuck) can help reverse forward-head posture by strengthening the neck muscles.

This exercise can be done sitting or standing. Start with your shoulders rolled back and down.

While looking straight ahead, place two fingers on your chin, slightly tuck your chin, and move your head back.

Hold for 3 to 5 seconds and then release. Repeat ten times.

2. Neck Flexion

Start by placing the head and neck in a midline position.

Bend the head forward until the chin touches the chest.

When it is difficult to reach the chest, flex the neck as far as it can go without pain.

Hold for a few seconds. Then bring the head back to the start position. Repeat this stretch ten times.

3. Chin Tuck with Overpressure

This third exercise is very similar to the first chin tuck exercise with added pressure.

While looking straight ahead, place two fingers on your chin.

Slightly tuck your chin. Move your head back.

Sustain the end-range pressure for 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Neck Extension

While holding your head in the chin tuck position, raise your chin and tilt your head back, looking upward.

Make sure to not let your neck move forward during this exercise.

While your head is tilted back, rotate your head side to side.

Strive to steadily move your head and neck farther back as you turn.

So there you have it the best four neck exercises for headaches.

Final Thoughts

Performing chin tucks and neck stretches can improve your posture, but when it comes to trigger points, self-massage can be effective.

Trigger points are hyperirritable knots in the muscles that refer pain and tingling.

In my recent book, This Is How To Fix Bad Posture, I share how to self-massage three unyielding trigger points that are guilty of causing tension headaches.