Two tips for how to get rid of headaches without medicine

Medications are one of the biggest double-edged swords of the modern age. On the one hand, they’ve helped treat terrible diseases and improve our lifespan. However, they can also be ridiculously expensive, addictive and have more potential side effects than there are words in a dictionary. One of the biggest reasons people in Jenison, Michigan, use over-the-counter medicines is to treat headaches, but here are two tips you can use to get rid of headaches without medicine. 

1.   Do neck stretches regularly

Many of the headaches people get regularly are tension headaches. These occur when tension builds up in the neck and shoulders and is transmitted into the head. This tension can also reduce blood flow to the head, which makes it harder for the brain to get enough oxygen. One non-medication option for getting rid of tension headaches is stretching your tense muscles. 

There are many easy neck stretches you can do to relieve tension. For example, turn your head to the right until you feel a stretch in the left side of the neck. Hold this for 10 to 20 seconds, and then, turn your head to the left to stretch the right side of your neck. Even simple stretches like this can go a long way toward relieving the tension in neck muscles. In turn, the reduced tension helps improve blood flow, and it causes fewer pain signals to be sent to the head. For all these reasons, neck stretches can be effective at relieving headaches and reducing their frequency. 

2.   Look for ways to improve posture

Posture is the way a person holds a part of their body, and the best posture for the neck is neutral where your head is balanced on the neck. However, modern technology has gone a long way toward degrading the average person’s neck posture. For instance, think about how much time many of us spend with our heads bent over a computer or cell phone. This head forward posture has actually been named “text neck,” and it puts a lot of strain on the neck. On average, an adult’s head weighs about 10 pounds. When it’s constantly bent forward, it overstresses the muscles in the neck. 

To get an idea of what your neck muscles are going through, pick up a 10-pound hand weight. Then, curl the weight up toward your shoulder but stop about halfway up. For most people, it won’t take long until you can feel the arm muscles straining to hold their position. This is exactly the same issue your neck muscles are facing when they’re trying to hold up your bent forward head. 

You can give your neck muscles a break and improve your posture in several ways. For instance, you can spend less time looking down at your cell phone. You can also make sure that your computer screen is at eye level, and this will prevent you from having to bend your head forward to see it. Taking small steps like these is not only better for your posture, it can also help you avoid and treat tension headaches without reaching for pain medicine. 

Get rid of headaches without medicine with help from Advent Physical Therapy in Jenison, MI

At the Jenison clinic of Advent Physical Therapy, we’re aware of how many issues that can lead to tension headaches and migraines. Using our personalized therapy plans, we can help you treat your head pain, and our plans are designed to provide benefits such as: 

• Reducing pain
• Increasing neck muscle strength
• Improving posture
• Decreasing headache frequency

Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.