Why They Happen Together
Could your neck pain be causing your headaches? Cervicogenic headaches are a type of headache that develops from referred pain coming from the upper neck. The nerves that come out of the uppermost three-neck vertebrae can become sensitized leading to a pattern of a headache around the eye and side and back of the skull. This often happens after conditions like whiplash or concussion, where it has a 53% prevalence.
Signs Of Cervicogenic Headache
- Painful upper neck joints
- Loss of range of movement at neck
- Painful muscles around the neck
- Headaches made worse by moving the neck
What can be done about it?
- Movement screen
Having a Physiotherapist assess you to find out exactly what is causing your headache is the first step. A movement screen looking for tension and altered movement into the neck, shoulders, and upper back is the most relevant place to start.
- Strength assessment
The strength of the deeper muscles in the neck compared to the larger more superficial ones is important in relieving headaches caused by neck pain. A program that takes into account postural strengthening through the shoulder and neck is critical to reducing cervicogenic headaches.
- Sensorimotor Training
Because the upper neck is highly connected to our visual, balance, and postural control system, working on balance and head and eye movement control can help reduce the deficits to these areas seen after things like whiplash, and in turn reduce the chances of a headache.
Contact For Health’s Sake to book your physiotherapy assessment and get rid of your headaches and neck pain for good.
References
- Amiri, M., Jull, G., Bullock-‐Saxton, J., Darnell, R., & Lander, C. (2007). Cervical musculoskeletal impairment in frequent intermittent headache. Part 2: Subjects with concurrent headache types. Cephalalgia, 27(8), 891-898.
- Andersen, L.L., Saervoll, C.A., Mortensen, O.S., Poulsen, O.M., Hannerz, H. and Zebis, M.K. (2011) Effectiveness of small daily amounts of progressive resistance training for frequent neck/shoulder pain: randomised controlled trial, International Association for the Study of Pain, 152(2), pp. 440-446.
- Beinert, K. and Taube, W. (2013) The effect of balance training on cervical sensorimotor function and neck pain, Journal of Motor Behaviour, 45(3), pp. 271-278.
By: Elias Peixoto, Physiotherapy Resident