Sit up and take notice—literally, because frequent headaches and neck pain are connected and the biggest culprit is poor posture. Most people who spend hours each day sitting in front of a computer do so leaning too far forward or to the side. This is a prescription for strained muscles in the neck and pain, migraine and headaches.

With poor posture the sternocleidomastoid muscle that runs from the back of your ear to the front of the neck can become stretched and the muscles in the back of the head have to strain to compensate for balance. This puts pressure on the occipital nerve, which is positioned at the small hollow at the base of the skull. Since this is a major sensory nerve, it's the pathway where neck pain travels to your head.

Neck pain is one of the most common symptoms of TMJ disorder (Temporomandibular Joint or TMD) putting undue stress on the joints, muscles and bones concentrated in the small area where your TMJ connects the lower jaw to your skull.