Today I want to share a great stretch you can begin to prevent tension headaches. It is called the behind-the-back stretch. It can be completed in a sitting or standing position.
It's especially useful to do whenever you feel the back of your neck and upper back begin to tighten from having sat too long at your computer.
If you're going to sit, make sure you have a chair with backing that comes halfway up your back.
Hook your arms over the back of the chair and pull your shoulder blades together (if you're standing, assume the military position: head up, shoulders back, stomach tight).
As you do this, make sure to stick your chest out. As this is very important, you should exaggerate a bit - and make sure you keep your head up, too.
Pull your shoulder blades together until you feel a pull in your shoulder joints. Don't go overboard on this; you don't want to cause any pain.
Now hold this stretch for three full minutes (don't cheat and quit early; the length of this stretch is very important).
At the end of this stretch, you should feel your back muscles loosen; you may even feel a warm rush of blood up the back of your neck.
It is helpful to take many breaks throughout the day to perform this stretch - it will help in prevent tension headaches.
Read our series on Tension headaches:
What causes tension headaches
To get more information about Tension Headaches read: How to Get Permanent Relief From Chronic Tension Headaches. It will give you several easy-to-follow stretches to do that gradually retrain your muscles to adapt to a proper posture.
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