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You can look more confident and avoid pain by focusing on the alignment of your head in relationship to your spine, and maintain this good habit by proportionately strengthening and stretching the suboccipital muscles.
The suboccipitals are made up of four short, rectangular muscles at the back of the neck where the head and neck meet (base of the skull). All four muscles originate at the two spinal bones at the top of the neck (cervical vertebrae 1 and 2, also called C1 and C2 or the atlas and the axis). They end (insert) at the very first spinal bone (C1 or the atlas) or the bottom of the skull on a bone called the occiput.
The suboccipital muscles are responsible for neck extension, lateral flexion, and rotation. Neck extension happens when you hold your head upright and aligned atop the spine. When you tilt your head back to look up at trees or a bird passing, the neck is hyperextended (going past neutral). Lateral flexion of the neck happens when you lean your head toward the left or right shoulder. You laterally flex your neck when you pin a phone between your shoulder and ear. Neck rotation happens when you turn your head left or right. You rotate the neck when you look both ways before crossing the street.
When you strengthen a muscle, for example, by lifting weights, tiny micro-tears develop in the muscle fibers. When you rest after strengthening, the body sends the necessary nutrients to repair the damage to that muscle, and to stimulate its growth to prevent future damage. It is this process of repairing the micro-tears that strengthens the muscle. Anytime you extend, rotate, or laterally flex the neck—in or out of the gym—the suboccipitals are strengthened. In everyday life, the suboccipitals are strengthened each time you shake your head “no,” look up to see the top of a building, or cock your head sideways when giving a quizzical look. In the gym, there are few exercises targeted at specifically strengthening the suboccipitals. Neck mobilizers— exercises that alternately strengthen and stretch the muscles—include neck circles and head tilts.
When you stretch a muscle, some of the individual muscle fibers (long, thin muscle cells) are pulled out to their longest length, while other muscle fibers remain contracted. The more muscle fibers that lengthen, the greater the stretch. To increase the number of lengthened muscle fibers requires consistent and repetitive stretching. When all the fibers lengthen fully, the muscle is at its longest and allows for maximum flexibility at the surrounding joints. This flexibility increases your overall range of motion and decreases risk of injury. Ideally, stretching takes place after movement. Movement increases blood flow to the muscles for a safer stretch. This is often referred to as stretching “warm” muscles. The increased blood flow from movement raises the temperature in the muscle so it is literally warmer. Plus, the blood flow boosts the oxygen supply to the body and causes the muscle fibers to have greater flexibility. So, contrary to what many of us were taught, there is no need to stretch before exercise. When you stretch a “cold” muscle, the muscle fibers are less flexible. So, not only is the stretch limited, the muscle is more susceptible to injury. Stretching and strengthening have a converse relationship. For example, if the neck must be extended to strengthen the muscles, then it must be flexed to stretch. In everyday life, you stretch the muscle when you bow your head, nod “yes,” and look down to zip your pants. In the gym, popular suboccipital stretching exercises include neck flexion stretch and neck lateral flexion stretch.
Muscles support and move the skeleton, making them critically important for the structural health of your body. Muscles are made up of sheets of fibrous tissue that can contract and release. Both ends of a muscle connect to one or more bones via tendons. When a muscle contracts, the bones on either side of the muscle pull toward one another. When a muscle releases or stretches, the bones move away from each other. For example, when you’re walking, your muscles continuously contract and release to keep you moving. The suboccipitals serve the very important role of keeping the head upright and aligned atop the spine. If the suboccipital muscles are torn, damaged, or overly tight, head and neck alignment is compromised. Moving the head and neck can be incredibly painful and in some cases, nearly impossible. Examples of head misalignment include when the neck tilts slightly up (hyperextension), when the neck leans slightly right or left (lateral flexion), or when the neck consistently rotates right or left of center (rotation). One of the most common types of head misalignment is a condition called forward head posture—a consistent jutting forward of the head and hyperextension of the neck. Due to the constant hyperextension of the neck, the suboccipitals are always strengthening. Over time, a lack of stretch causes the vertebrae of the neck to stiffen, making neck movement painful and adjusting the head to an aligned position increasingly difficult. A person suffering from this condition may experience tightness in the neck, soreness and tenderness in the upper back muscles, and headaches and migraines. To combat forward head posture and other types of head misalignment, align your head with the spine by tucking in your chin to give yourself not one, not two, but at least three chins! This technique is called Triple Chins. By balancing the strength and stretch in the suboccipitals, you can stand taller and reduce pain in the back, shoulder, neck, and head.
Try our suboccipital workout to strengthen, stretch, and optimize this muscle group.
The most common suboccipital muscle injuries include strain, tear and inflammation in the muscle and/or tendons connecting the muscle to the bones. Other ailments related to imbalanced suboccipitals include nerve-based neck pain, muscular-based neck pain, shoulder pain, rotator cuff tendinitis, frozen shoulder, hyperkyphosis, forward head posture, headaches, migraines, and back pain.
