Week 1 of 6 · Awareness
Posture and gentle range
Most somatic tinnitus involves the upper cervical spine — the top three vertebrae and the small suboccipital muscles. We start by waking those muscles up, gently, without provoking a flare. No exercise should make the tinnitus worse for more than ten minutes. If it does, ease off.
Chin tucks
10 reps, 3 seconds hold each, twice a daySit tall. Without tilting, slide your chin straight back, as if making a double chin. You should feel a stretch at the base of the skull, not a strain in the throat.
Slow head rotation
5 each side, twice a daySit tall. Turn your head slowly to the left until you feel a comfortable stretch, hold for five seconds, return to centre, then right. Move at half your normal speed.
Postural reset
Once an hour during the dayEvery hour, scan: are your shoulders forward? Is your chin poked out? Pull shoulder blades gently back and down, lengthen the back of your neck. Hold for thirty seconds.
If any movement causes sharp pain, dizziness, or a pulse change in the tinnitus, stop and see a physiotherapist before continuing.