I am about halfway through a post about anxiety—but I am too anxious to finish it. It’s been a DAY here in my office, but I did want to put up something for my normal Wednesday post. So, I will take another week to finish the post on anxiety—that way I can do it justice. Instead, I wanted to share my “Twenty and Two” rule.

I see a LOT of patients who tell me they suffer from pain at the base of their skulls. Often, as I am trying to ask questions about how and when the pain started, they report that they spend a lot of time on phones, tablets, or reading books. Meaning, they spend a lot of time with their heads angled downward. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but too much time spent with the head angled slightly downward can cause suboccipital muscular strain—a condition that can lead to tension headaches. The suboccciptal muscles, located at and along the base of the skull, function normally to extend the head or rotate it. Suboccipital headaches often feel like a band wrapped around the head—and the pain is no joke.

A simple method to ease tension placed on the suboccipital muscles while still being able to enjoy time playing games on your device or reading a book is to follow this simple rule: Take a two minute break for every twenty minutes of device or book time. I spend my whole day with my head angled downward in my work, and I try my best to keep to this rule. I have noticed a direct drop in the frequency of my headaches because of it. Try it out—and please let me know if it works for you.

I always say it—but I mean it. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog. I promise to be in a a better head space and deliver the anxiety post next week.

-Stephanie

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