Suboccipital muscles
Body region：Head
Tension-type headache, forward head posture, pain behind the eyes
Function
A group of small muscles between the occiput and the upper cervical vertebrae, responsible for extending the head and fine-tuning its position.
Common causes
Long periods of looking down at a screen, forward head posture, eye strain and stress.
Massage and stretching
- Lying supine, fingertips support the lower edge of the skull for 60 seconds
- Tuck the chin
Related acupoints
- Fengchi (GB20)：Depression below the base of the skull, outside the two large neck tendons
- Tianzhu (BL10)：Inside the posterior hairline, at the outer edge of the large neck muscle (trapezius)
Related meridians
Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang、Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang、Governing Vessel (Du Mai)
Posture and muscle patterns
When to see a doctor：Sudden severe headache with vomiting, vision changes or fever: seek medical care immediately.