The Run Down About Your Suboccipitals
If I've already lost you and you have no idea what your suboccipitals are then please get comfy and read on.
Let's start this way: have you ever had tightness, pain or "knots" right at the base of your skull? Worse yet, have you ever had pain also in your forehead or behind your eyes? If you've answered "yes" then stick with me as we unpack all things suboccipitals.
Whether you’re doing weightlifting reps or sitting at a desk all day, your neck is put under stress on a daily basis. Your neck is made up of multiple groups of muscles, each with their own chief functions and actions. While I'm not going to take you through a full deep dive of neck anatomy, I want you to understand why these muscles are so important.
Suboccipital muscles are located just below the occipital bone, right where the base of your skull meets your neck. This cluster of muscles is mainly responsible for posture and movements between your skull and top vertebrae.
Shaped somewhat like an upside-down pyramid, the suboccipital region is actually made up of four main muscles:
1.) Rectus capitis posterior major
2.) Rectus capitis posterior minor
3.) Obliquus capitis superior
4.) Obliquus capitis inferior
While they all contribute to the suboccipital muscles’ overall functions, each has its own distinctions. The suboccipital triangle is made up of the rectus capitis posterior major and both of the obliquus capitis muscles. This trio provides fine motor function in movements of the head. Also please notice that all of the various attachments to your skull, the first cervical vertebrae C1 (Atlas), as well as the second cervical vertebrae C2 (Axis.)
If you are experiencing suboccipital pain, stiffness and/or a dull ache at the top of your neck, it’s likely that your suboccipital muscles are tense. Other tight suboccipital muscles symptoms include pain in the back of your head, on your forehead and behind your eyes, sometimes even resulting in visual disturbances or nausea.
There are a number of causes of suboccipital muscle pain - some that you may have never considered. Aside from the usual suspects like slouching and whiplash, eye strain and grinding your teeth can cause tension and tightness in the area. Let's focus on posture though, as this is undoubtedly the culprit for a lot of these symptoms.
Where big neck muscles like the Trapezius sometimes get most of the credit for supporting and moving the head, the reality is that these deep, teeny-tiny suboccipital muscles pack more punch in terms of importance than those superficial and huge neck muscles. When you slouch and have forward head posture, all of your neck muscles accommodate to your body position. When the suboccipitals get "pulled along for the ride" with your bad posture, it directly relays right into your central nervous system.
Now we are going to take a little dive into some neuroanatomy, stay with me it's important and not too deep, we are about to tie this all up.
You all need to know what a muscle spindle is: Muscle spindles are stretch receptors within the body of a skeletal muscle that primarily detect changes in the length of the muscle. They convey length information to the central nervous system via afferent nerve fibers. This information can be processed by the brain as proprioception.
Propriocpetion is the sense of self-movement and body position. It is sometimes described as the "sixth sense" because it's your body's ability to know where it is in space without having to always "see" where your limbs are. Ex) putting your hand on behind your back - you can't see your hand but you know it's there.
Ok, that is - see I told you that wouldn't be bad.
First off, when we talk density of muscle spindles per gram, your suboccipitals (depending on which of the 4 we are talking about) have 98 spindles per gram and as much as 242 spindles per gram. Your trapezius, (that huge muscle along the tops of your shoulders and base of your skull) has just 2.2 spindles per gram! Guys, THAT'S A BIG DEAL! (1)
Think about it, how many more messages are being sent about your where your head is in space from your suboccipitals compared to all your other neck muscles? A TON more. What does that do to your brain? Well, an analogy is that is that those muscles are screaming to command center (your brain) with a megaphone about what's going on while the others are simply whispering....at best.
Your suboccipitals being distorted, tightened and ultimately shifting your spine out of normal alignment can cause disturbances in gait (how you walk), dizziness, loss of balance, and ataxia (a degenerative disease of the nervous system.)
The take home: your posture will tighten and negatively impact your neck muscles. In the long term, it will re-program your nervous system to think that it's your "new normal." Additionally, it will displace and move your cervical vertebrae away from normal (cause structural shifts) and have an impact on everything else I talked about last month with AHS (anterior head syndrome). Side note, if you missed it, you can read about it here: https://www.precisionchironh.com/blog/the-anatomy-of-anterior-head-syndrome-ahs
Before I leave, here is an easy stretch you can all do at home in the meantime to help with the tightness in through the base of your skull (if you're experiencing it):
Doing a suboccipital stretch is fairly simple. Begin by looking straight ahead, making sure your chin is parallel to the floor. Push your head down and forward by placing your hands on the back of your head. Make sure your chin is tucked into the front of your neck. While doing this exercise, you should feel a slight pull in the suboccipital area. Sit up straight, no slouching!
Practicing this regularly will help release tension from the top of your neck as well as strengthen it.
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