How to take the Headache out of Work!

Benefit Corporate Health offer office pilates and office yoga across Adelaide, If you don’t have classes at your workplace, then try the exercises below to help your headaches and sore neck.

Why do I get sore?

The top 3 vertebrae on your neck(cervical spine) can cause headaches, whether it be from degeneration, tight muscles, compressed nerves or intervertebral discs, or a combination of all of the above!

The headache distribution is normally on one side of the head, coming from the base of the head to behind one side of the eye, like in the picture.

When you sit in a slumped position, with your head forward and shoulders rounded, the muscles on the back of your neck, top of your shoulders and chest are in a shortened position. If you are in that position too long or too often, the muscles adapt to this shortened length!! This then changes your biomechanics and can increase stress on nerves, discs and bone, causing headaches!

How can I fix it?

You firstly need to set up your desk correctly, check out these tips on How to set up your Seated or standing desk, this pdf also contains a stretch poster to keep at your desk.

Once you are set up correct, you need to:

• Make sure you Move,  standing and checking posture every 20-30 minutes, which includes getting drinks, going to the toilet or getting printing.
• Stretch regularly, try these stretches in the videos below, these are some of the effective stretches you can do during the day to stop that bad posture and muscle shortening!
• Keep relaxed,  sometime you feel your shoulders creeping up to your ears, getting stressed at work! Try the easy and quick shoulder drop meditation/relaxation exercise to get those shoulder down!