How to Relieve Tension Headaches

I’ve started a new series where I’ll focus on a specific muscle group in the body each month. You’ll learn about why these muscles are important and gain tips and tricks for keeping them strong, loose and performing optimally. Today’s topic is the suboccipital muscles. Maybe you’ve never heard of them before, but you may have felt their wrath at some point in the form of a tension headache.

These are the headaches that start at the base of your skull and wrap up the back of your head to your forehead. And it’s all because the small, suboccipital muscles are tight. This group of four muscles forms a triangle and connects the skull to the top of the neck to help move and stabilize the upper neck. The suboccipital muscles can become tense due to a variety of reasons. Eye strain, poor ergonomics at a computer workstation, grinding the teeth, and poor posture are all contributing factors.

So, what can you do to relieve headache pain caused by the suboccipital muscles? A great way to alleviate these pains and headaches is a suboccipital muscle release, which you can do all by yourself! Check out this video on how to perform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vls3Ihz21z0&feature=emb_logo

Is there a muscle you want to learn more about? Comment below and I’ll be sure to queue it up!

Dealing with tight shoulders too? Check out this post about relieving upper trapezius pain.

Rachel Hollenbach

November 2, 2023.

I can’t recommend Dr. Stephanie or Dr. Lydia enough. They have provided me outstanding care while helping me overcome some upper back issues to allow me to get back into working out at a higher level. I myself am a PT and I knew I was in great hands after just our evaluation. It’s so refreshing to have a professional as skilled as them to give you feed back and help guide on your healing journey. Thank you so much Stephanie and Lydia and are a great team and provide top quality care!

vicki stainer

July 12, 2023.

When I first started seeing Dr. Steph, I was having daily stress/tension headaches up the back of my head and in my shoulders. Through dry needling and exercises that she gave me, I no longer experience those headaches! Dr. Steph has been a Godsend. She is such a good listener and immediately puts you at ease. Not only is Dr. Steph an awesome doctor, she is also an awesome human being!

E Gagen

July 11, 2023.

I can’t say enough about Empower Physio and Wellness. I saw Dr.Steph to help with pain and immobility and walked away with more than just a physical fix. Dr.Stephanie works to get at the root cause of the problem, to truly fix the issue. To me, she’s more than just a physical therapist. I learned more about how the body is connected through proper breathing, mental connections and awareness and of course the physical connections.

Kristin Michel

June 8, 2023.

Dr. Steph has been great to work with! She helped me put together many of the tools I already had to support my knees. Now I know when to do what (ice, elevate, foam roll, compression, etc). Also, we are working on some corrective exercises to further support my knees. I really appreciate the followup emails with videos and pictures of how to do the at home exercises. Takes all the memory and guess work out of it!

Ellen Fiorino

May 22, 2023.

I can’t thank Dr’s Steph and Lydia enough for all they have done to help me! I was in so much pain and so frustrated when I started with them and between the dry needling and PT I can now walk and move again without pain. Thank you!

Courtney Kincer

May 11, 2023.

I had the pleasure of working with both Dr. Steph and Dr. Lydia. First off, the environment of their office is very welcoming and gives a nice “homey” feeling. Both doctors are easy to connect with as they are friendly, cheerful, and honest. You can tell how passionate they are about PT based on their very thorough history and examination. They are fantastic listeners who allow you to describe your story/symptoms without feeling rushed. They are also devoted on educating and empowering you as the patient to work on improving your symptoms. The improvement I saw after one visit was tremendous! I highly recommend!:)

Maria Mattei

April 19, 2023.

Dr. Steph is absolutely wonderful! She is so kind, patient, easy to talk to, and comforting. She really focuses on the body as a whole instead of individual parts. I was nervous for the dry needling portion of my care and she eased my nerves and got me through it! Her space is warm and inviting too. She has nice background music playing along with an essential oil diffuser which makes the space so lovely. I can’t recommend Dr. Steph enough!! I’ll be back for all of my physical therapy needs!

Kati Allen

April 18, 2023.

The time spent talking through my unique situation, and really understanding and listening to me is invaluable. Steph provides detailed information and exercises to perform at home to continue building my mobility, strength, confidence in my abilities and decreases my stress and pain levels. She is generous with her time and knowledge and is a partner in my recovery. I am grateful for her patience with faith in me and I have, without a doubt, a vastly improved quality of life because of her work with me.

Pedro Donofrio

Dr. Steph is phenomenal! I came in with a lot of groin and hip pain. She diagnosed the problem, set up easy to follow exercises and did some dry needling. Within a couple weeks I was feeling much better and am back to running with no pain. Highly recommend!

Catrina Watson

April 4, 2023.

I spent months trying to self correct severe foot pain that limited my ability to live a normal and active life. Stephanie not only corrected the issue, but she provided guidance in so many areas to help me live a healthier and happier life. If you hurt, schedule an appointment NOW! You won’t regret it.

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