Headaches are no fun. The throbbing, the sensitivity to light, and general discomfort make it difficult to get through the day (or night!). Sometimes, though, what you think is a headache isn’t actually a headache. Your head hurts, but the pain starts in your neck.
That’s a cervicogenic headache, and while over-the-counter pain medications can help, chiropractic can offer a more lasting solution.
What Is a Cervicogenic Headache?
While it’s called a headache and the pain you feel is real, a cervicogenic headache doesn’t start in your head. Unlike a tension headache or a migraine, cervicogenic headaches originate in your upper neck, including the joints, discs, ligaments, and tissues in the C1-C3 area. This sensation is called referred pain, and in the case of a cervicogenic headache, that means the pain you feel in your head is coming from your neck.
Cervicogenic Headache Symptoms
Common symptoms of a cervicogenic headache include:
- Pain on one side of your head. The pain may go from the bottom of your neck to the top of your head, or it might go from the back of your head (near your neck) to the front (behind your eyes).
- Limited range of neck motion. Your head pain worsens if you move your neck.
- Neck pain. You may feel pain in your neck as well as your head.
While cervicogenic headaches are usually not dangerous, seek immediate medical attention if your headache is accompanied by:
- Sudden, severe headache pain unlike anything you’ve ever experienced
- Weakness, numbness, or difficulty speaking
- Vision changes
- Loss of consciousness
- Confusion
- Fever or stiff neck
Cervicogenic Headache Causes
Cervicogenic headaches are secondary headaches, meaning they’re caused by an underlying condition, usually in your neck. Some possible causes are:
- Neck injury or trauma
- Cervical joint dysfunction
- Muscle strain or tension
- Ligament strain
- Poor posture
- Connective tissue disorders
- Hypermobility
- Degenerative changes in your neck
- Arthritis
- Slipped or herniated disc
- Pinched nerve
- Whiplash
How Can a Chiropractor Help With Cervicogenic Headaches?
Though more research is needed, several studies have found that manual therapy, like chiropractic, may help reduce the frequency and severity of cervicogenic headaches.
So what chiropractic techniques might a chiropractor use to help with your cervicogenic headaches?
Spinal Manipulation
Spinal manipulation is a hands-on technique that uses quick, controlled thrusts to improve motion in stiff joints to restore flexibility, mobility, and reduce pain throughout your body. The goal is to improve how your neck moves, reduce irritation in your joints, and calm the inflammation that’s contributing to your pain.
Trigger Point Therapy
A trigger point is also known as a muscle knot, and muscle knots can cause pain in and around the surrounding area. People with cervicogenic headaches often have more sensitive trigger points in their upper trapezius muscles, basically the back of the neck and top of the shoulders.
Trigger point therapy can help release the knots in your upper trapezius. Your chiropractor will use a variety of hands-on techniques to stretch and release these muscles, reducing your pain.
Joint Mobilization
Stiff joints can trigger a cervicogenic headache. Joint mobilization may release this stiffness to restore mobility, reduce pain, and reduce the frequency of your cervicogenic headaches.
To be clear, joint mobilization is different from joint manipulation. Joint mobilization uses slow, controlled, and gentle movements to guide your joint in a specific direction to stretch the muscles and release the pressure in your neck. Joint manipulation uses more force and thrust to improve joint movement.
Myofascial Release
Myofascial release also uses gentle, sustained pressure to release muscle tension and reduce cervicogenic headache pain.
Like trigger point therapy, your practitioner uses gentle, sustained pressure to help release tension. But instead of focusing strictly on the “knot” in your neck, myofascial release focuses on your fascia, the connective tissue that supports your muscles, to release tension in your muscles and surrounding connective tissue.
Cupping Therapy
Cupping therapy is a complementary or supporting therapy that can reduce muscle tension and improve blood flow throughout the body. While research on cupping for cervicogenic headaches is limited, some studies indicate that cupping can reduce neck pain, which could decrease related cervicogenic headache pain.
When Should You See a Chiropractor for Cervicogenic Headaches?
Not every headache starts in the neck, but you may benefit from an evaluation if you:
- Have headaches that start in your neck and travel to your head
- Experience pain on only one side of your head
- Notice your headaches worsen when you move your neck
- Have a stiff neck or reduced range of notion
- Often experience neck pain with your headache
- Developed headaches after a car accident, sports injury, or whiplash
- Have recurring headaches that haven’t improved with rest, stretching, or over-the-counter pain relievers
A chiropractor can evaluate your neck, posture, flexibility, and muscle tension to determine if your symptoms may be related to a cervicogenic headache and recommend the appropriate treatment.
Find Relief
Cervicogenic headaches are uncommon. But if you’re someone who suffers from them, you can find relief. Chiropractic care and adjustments offer a drug-free solution that may reduce the intensity and frequency of your cervicogenic headaches.
The caring, compassionate team at Flourish Chiropractic Spa can help you find relief. Our chiropractors are skilled at pinpointing the root cause of your cervicogenic headache pain, and we offer supportive therapies like cupping and massage therapy to improve blood flow and release tension throughout your body. Schedule an appointment today and take the first steps on your healing journey.
