A tension headache can feel like a tight band squeezing the sides of your head, often paired with neck and shoulder stiffness and general muscle tension. The good news is that many people can get meaningful headache relief quickly with a few simple, targeted steps.
Before we dive in, one important note: if your headache is sudden and severe (the “worst headache of your life”), happens after a head injury, or comes with symptoms like confusion, fainting, fever, stiff neck, weakness, numbness, vision changes, or trouble speaking, treat it as urgent and get medical care right away.
What Is a Tension Headache?
Tension type headaches are one of the most common types of headaches. They are typically considered a primary headache, meaning they are not caused by another medical condition. They often show up as:
- Pressure or tightness around the forehead or sides of your head
- Achy, steady headache pain (not usually throbbing)
- Tight or sore neck and shoulder muscles
- Symptoms that flare with stress, posture strain, long hours at a desk, or clenching your jaw
Many people also experience overlap between headaches and migraines, so if you are not sure what you are dealing with, it helps to get assessed rather than guessing.
Chiropractic Assessment
If your tension headache keeps returning, the fastest path to lasting headache relief often starts with figuring out what is driving it.
A chiropractic assessment can help identify common physical contributors like:
- Posture and spinal alignment issues
- Restricted motion in the neck or upper back
- Trigger points and muscle tension in the upper traps, suboccipitals, and shoulders
- Workstation and habit factors that repeatedly overload the neck and shoulder area
This matters because “tension” is not just a feeling. It is often a pattern of irritation, tightness, and compensation that builds over time.
Also, the goal of a good assessment is to triage. If your symptoms suggest something beyond a typical tension headache, you should be referred for the right next step.
Arlington Chiropractor
At Pinnacle Chiropractic, we serve Arlington, Smokey Point, Marysville, and surrounding Snohomish County communities, with care that includes options like traction, posture-focused rehab approaches, and headache-related evaluation.
5 Quick Ways to Help Your Tension Headache
These are “do it now” strategies. Some help in minutes. Others help over the next few hours. If you combine them, you often get better results than relying on just one tool.
Therapeutic Stretching and Massage
When a tension headache is tied to tight neck and shoulder muscles, the fastest wins usually come from reducing that tightness.
Try this quick routine (5 to 7 minutes total):
- Shoulder drop and breathe
Sit tall. Inhale slowly through your nose, then exhale longer than you inhaled. Let your shoulders drop as you exhale. Repeat 5 slow breaths. - Upper trap stretch
Gently tilt your ear toward your shoulder until you feel a mild stretch on the opposite side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds each side. Keep it gentle. - Suboccipital release (base of skull)
Use your fingertips to massage the muscles right under the ridge of your skull. Small circles, light pressure, 60 to 90 seconds. Many people feel the “band pressure” ease as these muscles relax.
Heat and massage are commonly recommended self-care strategies because they help calm muscle tightness that can trigger tension-type headaches. Check out more stretches from our neck pain exercises blog.
Traction
If your headache comes with neck stiffness or a “compressed” feeling through the cervical spine, traction can sometimes provide relief by gently unloading tissues, improving motion, and decreasing stress on irritated areas.
A few important safety points:
- Keep traction gentle and controlled. More force is not better.
- Avoid aggressive pulling or stretching if it increases pain, causes dizziness, or triggers radiating symptoms.
- If your headaches started after a car accident, fall, or whiplash-type event, get assessed first. You want the right plan, not a guess.
In a clinic setting, traction can be selected and dosed based on your exam findings. Pinnacle Chiropractic offers traction as one of its services, and it may be part of a care plan when neck mechanics are a contributor to headaches.
Your Preferred Pain Reliever
Sometimes the fastest headache relief is an over-the-counter option. If you use pain relievers, keep it simple and safe:
- Use only what you tolerate well and what is appropriate for you.
- Follow the label instructions and dosing.
- Avoid taking them more often than recommended.
If you find you are reaching for pain relievers frequently (for example, many days per week), it is a strong sign you should address the driver behind the headaches, not just the symptom. Frequent medication use can also contribute to rebound patterns in some people, so this is another reason to get evaluated if headaches are becoming common.
Ice: Head, Neck and Shoulders, or a Migraine Mask
For many people, temperature therapy can make a meaningful dent in headache pain quickly. The best choice is often personal preference.
- Heat: helps relax tight muscles in the neck and shoulder region
- Ice/cool: can numb pain and calm irritated tissues
A simple approach:
- Put a heating pad (low setting) or warm towel on the neck/upper shoulders for 10 to 15 minutes
- Or use an ice pack wrapped in a cloth on the forehead or the base of the skull for 10 minutes
- A “migraine mask” style cold wrap can help if light sensitivity is part of your symptom pattern
Mayo Clinic specifically notes that applying heat or ice can help ease tension-type headache symptoms, and that massage can relieve muscle tension and sometimes headache pain.
Don’t Forget the Basics: Sleep and Eat
This one sounds obvious, but it is a real “fast fix” because it removes common triggers.
Two big ones:
- Sleep: Even a short nap or 20 to 30 minutes of quiet rest can reduce the intensity of a tension headache for some people, especially if stress and screen time are major triggers.
- Eat: Do not skip meals. Low blood sugar, dehydration, and long gaps between meals can set the stage for headaches in general.
If you want a quick reset:
- Drink a full glass of water now.
- Eat something with protein and complex carbs (even a small snack).
- Reduce screen brightness and take 10 minutes in a quiet room.
Visit Pinnacle Chiropractic for Relief Today
If you are dealing with recurring tension headache episodes, or you feel like your headaches are tied to tight neck and shoulder muscles, posture strain, or lingering injury patterns, a focused exam can be the turning point.
Pinnacle Chiropractic serves Arlington, Smokey Point, Marysville, and surrounding Snohomish County areas and offers services that can support headache-related care planning, including traction and posture-focused rehabilitation approaches.
If your symptoms include any red flags (sudden severe headache, neurological symptoms, fever, stiff neck, confusion, weakness, numbness, trouble speaking, or a dramatic change in your normal pattern), seek urgent medical evaluation.
FAQ
Are tension headaches genetic?
Some people are more prone to headaches in general, but most tension type headaches are strongly influenced by lifestyle and physical triggers such as stress load, posture, sleep patterns, hydration, and neck and shoulder tightness. If your headaches are frequent or changing, it is worth getting evaluated to confirm what type of headache you are dealing with and what is driving it.
What other services does Pinnacle Chiropractic offer?
Pinnacle Chiropractic provides multiple services beyond headache care, including advanced chiropractic care, posture rehabilitation, traction, custom orthotics, and auto injury treatment, serving Arlington and nearby communities.
Can Pinnacle help with headaches?
Pinnacle Chiropractic treats headache-related concerns and can assess whether factors like posture strain, neck mobility restrictions, and muscle tension may be contributing to your symptoms, then build a plan that matches what your exam shows. Watch our video on YouTube on headaches, Can a chiropractor heal with headaches?
