More than 5.2 million emergency room visits annually are due to headache, and while there are many different types and causes of this localized pain, The National Headache Foundation reports that tension-type headaches occur most frequently, and are usually the result of stress, fatigue, anxiety, and muscular “gripping” in our bodies. Poor posture, resulting from tightened or fatigued muscles in the neck, back and shoulders, can result. What are some postural changes that contribute to the problem, and how can you find headache pain relief?

Problem Positions

iPosture

The average American spends several hours daily looking down at portable devices like cell phones and tablets, leading experts to coin the terms “text neck” and “iPosture” for the painful conditions resulting from the unnatural positions of our heads and necks. This downward-head posture leads to excessive force on the cervical spine, muscle fatigue in the neck, and even disc and nerve damage, becoming a major contributor to headaches.

The Shoulder Phone-Cradle

Multi-tasking can take a painful turn when you cradle a phone between your ear and shoulder for a call instead of using your hand. This positioning causes an unnatural strain in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the neck and tension and fatigue in the shoulder muscles, both of which can lead to headache pain.

Uneasy Ergonomics

When a workspace is poorly designed and doesn’t support the mechanics of the body, unnatural reaching and gripping is a natural response. If your desk height is set too high, you’ll be recruiting neck and shoulder muscles to lift the arms to a functional level. Also, a monitor that is not set high enough will encourage a forward leaning neck or slumping in the back, both of which will fatigue and strain head and neck muscles that can lead to headache pain.

Fast Fixes For Poor Posture

Take Care of Pain

The sensation of pain is fatiguing and stressful, and tightening muscles to compensate around painful areas can lead to a poor posture. Taking steps to treat pain by seeking a diagnosis from a headache specialist sooner than later will help eliminate many long term physical problems before they start. 

Consider Chiropractic

Trying to correct your posture for headache pain relief will be more difficult if spinal misalignment is a source of discomfort. Research published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics showed that spinal manipulation, a primary treatment provided by chiropractors, is “an effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.” Establishing a healthy spinal foundation may be your key to relief.

Practice Stress Relief

Managing your stress response is a very important step in finding headache pain relief. Utilizing self-help methods like biofeedback, during which special equipment is used to identify and retrain your body’s involuntary responses to stress (like breathing, muscle tension, and heart rate), can help refine and perfect relaxation methods, leading to less tension and fatigue, and fewer headaches.

Are Postural Changes Causing Pain?

At Atlanta Medical Clinic, we offer an array of diagnostic, pain management, and comprehensive treatment services to quickly and effectively eliminate your pain at the source. Contact us today to meet with one of our headache specialists for the headache pain relief you need.