Two exercises for neck pain that’s causing headaches

Therapeutic exercise is one of the most valuable tools in a physical therapist’s arsenal. For one thing, this technique provides versatility, and it allows therapists to help people with many different injuries and medical conditions. One common issue that therapeutic exercise can treat is neck pain that’s causing headaches. Here are two examples of therapeutic exercises therapists can use to treat this problem: 

1.   Chin tucks

The muscles in the top of your neck can easily become painful, and this neck pain can cause you to have headaches. This is especially true when you spend lots of time every day looking down at a laptop screen or at your cellphone. To stretch these muscles, physical therapists will often prescribe the chin tuck exercise. 

You’ll want to start out by sitting up straight in a stable chair, and your head should be balanced over your shoulders. From this starting position, push your head backward without tilting it upward until you feel a stretch in the back of your neck. Hold this stretch for about 10 seconds and then return to the start position. Repeat the stretch as needed throughout the day. 

If you want to deepen the stretch, use your hand to push gently on your chin as you move the head backward. This stretch is perfect for people who often get neck pain and headaches while at work, and it can also improve the strength of other muscles in your neck. 

2.   Head tilts

Neck pain that causes headaches can also come from tension in the muscles on the side of your neck. To target this area, physical therapists can show you therapeutic exercises like the head tilt. 

To begin this exercise, sit with your back straight and your head centered over your shoulders. Then, slowly tilt your head to the left like you’re trying to touch your ear to your shoulder. This should cause you to feel a stretch in the right side of your neck, and you’ll want to try to hold this stretch for about 10 seconds. Once the 10 seconds are up, return your head to the neutral position, and repeat these steps on the other side of your neck.

For a deeper stretch with this exercise, you can let your arms hang down past the arms of the chair. You can also use your hand to pull lightly on your head as you bend it to the side, but make sure you don’t pull too hard as this can increase your pain. 

Peak Performance offers plans to treat neck pain that causes headaches

Our team at Peak Performance can help you build a plan to target your neck pain. Your plan can help reduce muscle tension that’s causing your pain and leading to headaches, and it may include therapy techniques like: 

• Therapeutic exercise
• Manual therapy
• Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)
• Ergonomic training

Are you ready to take the next step to begin treating your neck pain? Contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.