When it comes to headaches, people may worry about their stress levels, sleep schedule, water intake, or medication side effects. But recurring head pain could also be caused by neck misalignment.
Certain problems affecting the cervical spine, surrounding joints, muscles, nerves, and other soft tissues can cause pain that radiates into the head. This type of headache is commonly referred to as a cervicogenic headache.
Below, we will discuss the relationship between the neck and headaches to help you recognize when your cervical spine could be causing your symptoms.
How Can the Neck Contribute to Headaches?
The upper portion of the cervical spine contains joints, muscles, ligaments, and nerves that share pain pathways involving the head and face. Pain originating in these structures can sometimes be perceived somewhere else, such as in the back, side, or front of the head.
Changes in normal neck movement or irritation of cervical structures may contribute to this referred pain. While the term “neck misalignment” is commonly used to describe changes in spinal positioning or movement, headaches should not be automatically attributed to spinal alignment. A proper evaluation is necessary to determine whether your neck is contributing to your symptoms.
What Is a Cervicogenic Headache?
A cervicogenic headache is a type of secondary headache that originates from a problem involving the neck. Unlike a primary headache disorder, such as a migraine, the pain has a source outside the head itself.
This headache typically causes pain that begins in the neck or back of the head and travels toward the forehead, temple, or behind one eye. It typically affects only one side of the head. Individuals may also experience reduced range of motion or stiffness in the neck, head pain that becomes worse with certain neck movements, and tenderness or discomfort in the neck and upper shoulder area.
Not everyone with a cervicogenic headache will experience obvious neck pain, which can make the source hard to locate.
What Can Cause Neck-Related Headaches?
Several conditions or factors can affect the muscles, joints, nerves, and soft tissues of your neck and contribute to cervicogenic headaches, including:
Poor Posture
Spending long periods looking down at a phone, working at a computer, or sitting in one position can put additional strain on the neck and upper back. Over time, this may contribute to muscle tension and changes in neck movement.
Muscle Tension
When the muscles around the neck, shoulders, and upper back become tight or irritated due to stress, awkward sleeping positions, or overuse, individuals can experience discomfort and headaches.
Previous Neck Injuries
Whiplash, sports injuries, falls, and other trauma can damage the muscles, joints, and other structures of the cervical spine. Individuals can experience cervivogenic headaches following neck injuries.
Joint or Disc Problems
Arthritis, disc problems, irritated joints, or other cervical spine conditions may contribute to neck-related pain and headaches.
Pinched Nerves
Irritation of the upper nerves can cause sharp or throbbing pain that spreads to the scalp and head.
How Can You Tell If Your Neck May Be Involved?
There is no single symptom that proves a headache is coming from the neck. However, certain patterns may benefit from further evaluation.
Consider talking with a healthcare professional if your headaches frequently accompany neck pain or stiffness, begin at the base of your skull, become worse when you move your neck, develop after a neck injury, or continue despite your usual headache management strategies.
Because cervicogenic headaches can resemble migraines or tension headaches, a healthcare professional may need to evaluate your symptoms and rule out other potential causes.
Can Chiropractic Care Help?
A chiropractor can evaluate your posture, spinal mobility, muscle tension, range of motion, and other factors that could be contributing to your symptoms. Depending on this evaluation, they may recommend spinal manipulation, therapeutic exercises, posture corrections, stretching, and other conservative approaches.
Research reviewed by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health suggests spinal manipulation may reduce the frequency and intensity of cervicogenic headaches. However, individuals may benefit from a broader approach that includes patient education, exercises, and other forms of conservative care.
Treatment should be tailored to the individual and the suspected source of the headache.
Don’t Ignore Recurring Headaches
Recurring headaches can interfere with work, sleep, exercise, and everyday activities. If your headaches regularly accompany neck stiffness, limited mobility, or neck discomfort, you may want to discuss cervicogenic headaches with a healthcare professional.
Identifying potential contributing factors can help you develop an appropriate treatment plan and reduce the impact headaches have on your daily life.
