3 Holiday Stress Busting Stretches

Here are a few stretches for those nagging stress points in your upper shoulders and the upper neck that can even lead to headaches. 

The Three Muscles:

1. Upper Trap
2. Levator Scapulae
3. Splenius Capitis

These three muscles can carry tension from stress and a few stretches might fend off neck pain and headaches.

The first muscle we're going to stretch is the upper trap muscle that goes from the neck into the upper shoulder. So you can find any tender spots throughout that muscle. Put some pressure in that tender spot. Use your opposite hand and stretch straight across.

The next stretch is going to be similar. This one is for a muscle called the levator scapulae. This one connects from the shoulder blade into the back of the neck. So for this one, again, you can find any tender spot. This time, put some pressure at the edge of the shoulder blade. Grab behind your ear and pull down into the side at the same time.

The last stretch is for where the neck muscles come in and they attach into the base of your skull (splenius capitis). So for this one, you can find the little bump at the back of your head and then just go about an inch over to the left or the right. Find any tender spot there. And then you want to take your opposite hand, grab onto that tender spot and pull down into the side at the same time.

Hold each stretch for about 20 seconds. Do these multiple times every day to reduce tension and stress. And if you need some more help, download our guide, 4 Steps to Headache Relief. It's a free guide. It tells you what to do to try to prevent headaches, as well as try to treat them when they come on. And of course, if you need more help, give us a call at (513) 444-4529. We're here to help you. Thank you!

DOWNLOAD THE 4 STEPS TO HEADACHE RELIEF (FREE PDF)