You know the feeling. A tight band wrapping around your head. Pressure behind your eyes. The base of your skull feels like it's in a vice. You've been told to relax, reduce stress, and maybe try some ibuprofen. And it works — for a few hours. Then it comes back.
Here's what nobody tells you: "tension" in a tension headache isn't just about stress. It's about real, physical, mechanical tension in the muscles and joints of your upper neck. And that tension can be addressed directly — with the right exercises.
The Real Cause of Tension Headaches
The suboccipital muscles — the small, deep muscles at the base of your skull — are the key players. When these muscles are chronically tight or overloaded (from poor posture, sustained desk work, stress, or weakness), they pull on the fascia of the scalp and compress the upper cervical joints.
This constant low-level irritation sends signals into the trigeminocervical nucleus in your brainstem — the shared processing centre for your neck and head. Over time, the brainstem becomes sensitised, and your pain threshold drops. What should be a minor inconvenience becomes a debilitating headache.
The good news: unlike the causes of many headaches, suboccipital muscle tension and upper cervical joint stiffness are directly addressable. You can physically change these structures with the right exercises.
Exercise 1: The Retraction Stretch (The Filing Cabinet)
This is the single most effective exercise I give my headache patients. It provides immediate over-pressure to the upper cervical joints, gapping the facet joints and stretching the tight suboccipital muscles. Done consistently, it directly de-sensitises the trigeminocervical nucleus.
How to do it
Stand with your back and head touching a wall. Your feet should be about a foot away from the wall with a slight bend in your knees. Spread your thumb and index finger wide and place your hand on the front of your chin, cupping it. Lift your elbow high so it is almost level with your chin.
Using that hand, push your head directly backwards into the wall. Keep your head and neck muscles completely relaxed — let your arm do all the work. Imagine pushing your head straight back like a filing cabinet drawer closing. Do not tilt your chin up or down. Increase the pressure until you feel a deep stretch at the base of your skull or until you feel firm resistance.
Hold for 20 seconds. You should be able to breathe comfortably through your nose. Repeat 4 times in a row with a brief rest between each repetition.
When to do it: Three times per day at mealtimes as a preventative measure. And critically — use it immediately when you feel a headache coming on. Many patients report that catching a headache early with this stretch can stop it from developing fully.
Exercise 2: Suboccipital Pressure Release (The Peanut)
This technique uses a firm massage ball to apply sustained pressure to the tight suboccipital muscles, providing direct trigger point release and further calming the nervous system.
What you need
A firm massage ball — a lacrosse ball, a tennis ball, or ideally a "peanut" massage tool (two balls joined together, which sits perfectly at the base of the skull on both sides simultaneously). You can find peanut massage tools cheaply on Amazon — they are well worth the investment.
How to do it
Lie on your back on the floor or a firm surface. Place the ball right at the top of your neck, nestled just below the base of your skull on one side. Support the back of your head with your hands. Adjust the position of the ball until you find a tender, tight spot — the "good pain." You can increase the pressure slightly by tucking your chin or turning your head slightly toward the ball.
The pressure should cause mild discomfort, but you should still be able to breathe easily and hold a conversation. Hold the pressure on that spot for 1 to 2 minutes until you feel the pain begin to ease or the area soften. Repeat on the other side.
Why These Two Exercises Work Together
The retraction stretch works primarily on the joints — gapping the upper cervical facet joints to relieve compression and restore mobility. The pressure release works primarily on the muscles — releasing the tight suboccipital trigger points that are feeding into the brainstem's pain processing centre.
Together, they address both the joint and muscle components of the problem. Done consistently, they begin to lower the baseline level of irritation being sent to the trigeminocervical nucleus, gradually raising your pain threshold.
The Long-Term Fix: Strengthening
These two exercises are Phase 1 — the relief phase. They are excellent for immediate symptom management and for beginning to calm the nervous system. But they are not the complete solution.
To stop tension headaches from coming back, you need to build strength. Weak neck muscles fatigue quickly, and fatigued muscles send pain signals. By building strength in the deep neck flexors and extensors, you raise your structural capacity — your neck can handle more load before it starts complaining.
That's Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the full Headache Fix protocol. If you're ready to go beyond symptom management and actually fix the root cause, the complete programme is in the eBook.