Family Ideas

Suboccipital Tension Release

You might do it to yourself if someone isn’t around by rolling up a towel or something and laying your head over it in the same spot (just below the ridge on the back of your skull).  This can help a lot if the headache is caused by tension.

1. With the patient supine and the physician seated at the head of the table, the physician places his fingertips together under the suboccipital area (the occipito-atlantal junction).
2. With his/her fingertips, the physician directs traction anteriorly and superiorly with a force comparable to the weight of the head.
3. Treatment is continued until the tissues release as evidenced by the head falling to your palm.

This may be applied up to the nuchal lines when the muscles there are found to be in a state of contracture.

Suboccipital tension release may be used for tension headaches and in preparation for cervical correction.  This technique also stretches dural attachments at C2, C3 and the occiput.