Feeling a throbbing pain behind your eyes? You're probably experiencing a tension headache.
This dull, achy sensation often starts in the neck and can take over your forehead, scalp, neck and shoulders. Once a tension headache sets in, it can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a week.
Fortunately, tension headaches can be prevented and relieved with three easy exercises. Watch the video above to learn the proper technique for each move.
Physiotherapist Amy Gildner tells The Huffington Post Canada hunched shoulders create a lot of tension. Instead of temporarily rolling them back, Gildner tells her clients to pay attention to their palms, ensuring they are constantly facing the body. This simple move opens up the chest and naturally pulls the shoulders back, instantly easing some of the tension in your neck.
Office workers are usually guilty of hunching over their desks and hiking up their shoulders. Even though we know we should sit with our shoulders back it's easy to fall back into bad habits. Stretching your pectoral muscles three times a day for 30 seconds can help and all you need to do is stand with your back against the wall with your arms bent at a 90 degree angle and fingers pointing up like a football post.
Finally, head tilts can give your neck the stretch it needs. Tilt your head to your right shoulder and hold for 30 seconds then tilt to the left for another 30 and finally down in the centre for another 30 seconds. These simple moves will pull the tension away from your forehead and make it feel like a distant memory.
These exercises, coupled with a healthy lifestyle that involves exercising, drinking plenty of water, eating healthy and avoiding alcohol and smoking, are all you need to steer clear of painful tension headaches.
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