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.
