Treat mild daily headaches with these two exercises

Mild Headaches Every Day

Having mild headaches every day isn’t something that people should have to deal with. Unfortunately, far too many people do deal with this annoyance on a daily basis. These frequent headaches are often the result of poor head and neck posture, and they can stem from tension in the shoulders, upper back or neck. 

Physical therapists can help you target muscle tension that’s causing you to have mild headaches every day. Of the many techniques they can use to do so, there are two therapeutic exercises therapy specialists often use to help headache sufferers. 

1.  Shoulder rolls

Your shoulder muscles help hold up your neck and head, and this makes them a prime site of tension that can trigger mild headaches every day. Therapists can show you many therapeutic exercises that are designed to reduce tension in your shoulder muscles. One example of such an exercise is shoulder rolls. 

How to perform the shoulder rolls exercise

  • Sit or stand up straight with your head centered over your shoulders. 
  • Slowly lift your shoulders and allow them to roll forward. 
  • Continue to roll your shoulders in the same direction until they’ve moved in a full circle. 
  • Repeat this movement 10 to 15 times. 
  • Use the same steps to roll your shoulders in the opposite direction 10 to 15 times.
  • Continue to repeat the steps until you’ve done two to three sets in each direction.

 

2.  Neck rotations

Tense and sore neck muscles can also be a source of mild, everyday headaches. These symptoms can often be caused by car accident injuries or sports injuries to the neck, but they can also be related to poor neck and head posture. Neck rotations is an exercise therapists can use to help you reduce neck muscle tension and pain while reducing your risk of headaches as well. 

How to perform the neck rotations exercise

  • Stand or sit up straight, and make sure you have good head and neck posture. 
  • Slowly turn your head as far as you can to the right. This should cause you to feel a stretch in the left side of your neck. 
  • Hold this stretch for 10 seconds before returning your head to the middle position. 
  • Slowly turn your head to the left to stretch the opposite side of your neck. 
  • Hold this stretch for 10 seconds as well. 
  • Continue to rotate your head in both directions until you’ve stretched both sides of your neck three to four times. 

Reduce your risk of having mild headaches every day at Whatcom Physical Therapy

Are you someone who has a mild headache almost every day? Our team at Whatcom Physical Therapy can help you find ways to treat this issue. The free screenings we offer can help point out issues that could be causing your headaches. Our team can then create a personalized therapy plan for you that’s designed to treat your headaches with therapy methods like: 

Don’t wait to start treating the source of your headaches. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.