Introduction
One of the first times, I realized the importance of my neck and head was when I restarted martial arts training, specifically Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Despite growing up with a love for martial arts, I had spent my childhood and teenage years playing mainly basketball and soccer. So in an attempt to rekindle those fires I jumped straight into a class for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. For those of you whom may have never heard of this martial art, it's a grappling system designed to submit/maim/kill (yikes) an opponent through joint locks, chokes and various other maneuvers. A bit barbaric I know, but nevertheless loads of fun.
In the first sparring session, we started on our knees and before I knew it I had found myself upside down in a compromising position with some type of headlock put on me. No matter how hard I fought I couldn't do anything, much less see. My limbs felt powerless and drained, my body acted as though stuck in limbo. Boy, was I sore the next day. But it also made me realized something; the saying that "where the neck goes, the body goes" was never more true in that situation and what really helped me improve my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in every sparring session after that was making my utmost effort to control the neck.
The relationship of the neck to headaches and the rest of the body is what will be explored today along with tips on how to find relief quick.
Frequency of Headaches
While many headaches are not caused by any muscle, nerve or joint problem, those that are, are frequently missed or misdiagnosed. In fact, if you have headache, neck pain or dizziness you probably have a cervicogenic headache. Even migraines often have a muscle/joint component to them. Test it out by moving your neck or jaw around. Feel tight? While many people learn to live with it or see their local GP for a quick pill to pop, that doesn’t have to be the case.
Anatomy of the neck
The best of solving a problem is always to get to the cause of it. By further investigation, a number of culprits have been found to cause these headaches/neck disorders. In this case, the victim of your headaches are being held by a number of repeat offenders, their names being:
Based on the way your neck was designed, the muscles around it help to orient the body in space, keep posture, and direct movement much like the rudder of a ship. As a result of our cultural practices involving technology, reading and sleeping, amongst others, our neck isn’t often shown much love, which means it isn’t able to do what it was made for. The repeated posture of sticking our chins out and bending our heads down result in a tendency for our neck to slide the skull up and the upper neck forwards. The picture below is an example of what I mean:
As a result the occipitals and your sternocleidomastoid(the wires that hold your head down and back) get overworked, while your upper neck joints clamp down to provide stability from such an unstable head position. A smart short term survival strategy but a bad long term solution. As a result of years of overworking conditions such as these can develop: spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, disc bulges, spinal stenosis, and migraines etc.
How to hack the Headache
Having said that here are some quick ways of getting relief and resetting your posture:
Apply pressure to the suboccipitals with your finger pads around the base of the skull, all the way to the bony point behind your ear. Only use enough pressure to feel the tension and the tissue pushing back (Image 1)​
​
Apply pressure down your forehead towards your eyebrows with your finger pads – this helps to release tension along the connective tissue of your occipitals
Apply pressure upwards along your sternocleidomastoid muscles from your sternum to your jaw (Image 2) ​
Holding pressure for roughly 30s should be enough for a quick release
Apply forward pressure with both hands to the top segment of your spine that sticks out, just under the skull for 30s (Image 3) ​
Corrective exercise
The main correction for this is to restore muscle balance returning the skull/neck to its normal curve. An easy way to start is by getting a towel, band or even using your hands to perform what’s called a neck retraction exercise:
Neck Pain is a Lifestyle Not a Neck Problem
However, the most important thing to remember is that neck pain has much more to do with our decision-making and who we are. It is a lifestyle problem, not a neck problem. The main reason that the neck hurts is because its been put into a habitual position that it doesn’t want to stay in. If we’re blaming our necks, then we’ve arrested the wrong guy! Break the habit rather than glossing it over with the pill. While it’s the hardest thing to do, it’s also the most worthwhile and your body will thank you for it. Take care of your body by moving more. Spend time exploring different activities, movements, and sports. Use your neck and your neck will keep using you.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, whether you like it or not, the bad guy may just be you and your neck is warning you before its too late. Working too much? Unfortunately our bodies weren’t designed to work all the time. This is a reason why I think that neck pain, headaches and spinal posture is an indicator of overall physical health. Not surprising when the research shows headaches and neck pain being related to jaw pain, dizziness, shoulder disorders, migraines, breathing disorders, hand function, back pain, poor balance and walking disorders. After all, it is the rudder of your ship.
However, to help you best, I would recommend a good physiotherapist to reset your posture and teach you how to relearn using your neck. Use the reset, try the exercise, and if you found this article helpful and would like more information, sign up to my facebook page on www.facebook.com/nathanwongpt, my newsletter on www.nathanwongpt.com or my youtube channel. If you want someone to chat too, book a free discovery session with me, or press on the free telephone consult button on my website. My website will have additional resources where I’ll be continuing my series on the neck, and a free report for you or anyone you know with back pain.
Bonus
As a bonus, make sure you’re drinking enough water. Headaches, and neck pain often come as a result of dehydration with quite noticeable results (just ask my fiancé, sister or friends at the end of a long day). For adults, drink at least 2 liters of water minimum.