Headaches That Start in Your Neck: Why Painkillers Aren't Working

Do your headaches start at the base of your skull and creep over to your forehead or behind one eye? Do they get worse after a long day at the laptop or a slow drive through Waiyaki Way traffic? If painkillers only give you a few hours of peace, your headache may not be a head problem at all. It may be coming from your neck.

What is a cervicogenic headache?

A cervicogenic headache is pain that is felt in the head but starts in the joints and muscles of the upper neck. The nerves of the top three neck joints share pathways with the nerves of the head. When those joints or muscles are irritated, your brain reads the pain as a headache.

Common signs include:

• Pain on one side of the head that starts in the neck
• Neck stiffness, especially when turning your head to check a blind spot
• Headaches triggered by certain neck positions or long hours of looking down at a screen
• Tenderness at the base of the skull
• Pain that sometimes spreads to the shoulder

This type of headache is often mistaken for migraine or tension headache, so many people treat the wrong problem for years.

How physiotherapy helps

Research shows that a programme combining hands-on therapy and targeted exercise reduces cervicogenic headaches and the need for medication. In one well-known trial, six weeks of this approach helped patients both in the short term and a year later.

At Katasi Physiotherapy, your treatment may include:

• Manual therapy – gentle mobilisation of the upper neck joints
• Deep neck muscle training – strengthening the small muscles that hold your head up
• Posture and desk set-up advice for work, phone use and driving
• Dry needling for tight, tender muscles at the base of the skull

When to see a doctor first

Some headaches need urgent medical care. See a doctor straight away if your headache is sudden and severe, comes with fever, a stiff neck or rash, or brings changes in vision, speech or strength.

Book your assessment

You don't have to keep living from one painkiller to the next. Book an assessment at Katasi Physiotherapy, Mogotio Road off Muthithi Road, Westlands. Call or WhatsApp 0705 717 353.

Source: Physiopedia – Cervicogenic Headache

Book on WhatsApp