Is Your Headache Coming From Your Neck?

32 // April 2020 by Brandon Burns About The Author Brandon Burns is the clinic manager at CORA Physical Therapy in Cleveland. He is an alumni of UT Knoxville and TN State. He specializes in orthopedics, balance training, and sports medicine. For an appointment call 423-458-6298. D o you suffer from headaches? You are not alone. Roughly 47% of people around the globe suffer from them. And while there are many different types of headaches, I want to talk specifically about “cervicogenic” headaches. They are described as pain felt in the head, but actually develop in the neck. Research shows that 1 in 5 of all headaches are cervicogenic.

So, why do these types of headaches occur? The cervical spine, commonly known as the neck, is not working like it should. Usually this is the result of stiff joints in the neck, tight neck muscles, and/or weak postural muscles. We all know that our posture is something we need to work on. But, other things such as increased stress and having the neck in awkward positions could also lead to these issues. Cervicogenic headaches typically feel like a “throbbing” type pain in areas of the head and face, depending on where in the neck they are coming from. In addition to throbbing pain, symptoms may include: pain only on one side of the head/face, pain around the eyes, and a stiffness in the neck felt with head movements. If left untreated, cervicogenic headaches can become chronic and leave sufferers feeling helpless. With there being so many different types of headaches, there are also a wide variety of causes. This makes diagnosis and treatment difficult for healthcare providers. Getting down to the potential cause of the headache is very important in selecting a treatment that will work. Keep in mind that pain medications will only “mask” your symptoms to make you feel better and not address the actual problem. Because cervicogenic headaches are caused by a structural problem in the neck, physical therapist are

valuable in their ability to assist in diagnosing and treating them. We can examine how your neck is functioning and determine your problem areas.

The next step is your road to recovery. A physical therapist can provide a wide variety of treatments to get you back to normal. Manual or “hands-on” treatments provided by a physical therapist have proven to be more effective than pain medication for treating cervicogenic headaches. Manipulation and movement of the joints in the neck can be performed to treat stiff and painful areas. If your cause is tight muscles, we could provide massage or other soft-tissue movement techniques. We can demonstrate strengthening exercises to target weak postural muscles. Furthermore, we can teach muscle-specific stretching to improve neck motion and reduce the chance of future headaches. Other healing treatments that we may use include: electrical stimulation, heat, ice, dry needling, cupping, etc.

If you think that your headaches may be coming from your neck, please contact your local CORA physical therapy to find the relief you have been searching for. Or, if you are unsure, a free screening can be set up to determine if you need physical therapy.