Who do you know that has experienced a headache? Most people have had a headache at some point in time or another. Most of the time it is not anything to be concerned about….but if you constantly suffer headaches, experience tightness at the base of your skull, or frequently have headache pain behind your eye…that is not normal. Those might be what is known as a cervicogenic headache (AKA tension headaches).

The good news is that cervicogenic headaches can be treated with physical therapy.

While it can be difficult to differentiate cervicogenic headaches from other types of headaches, there are certain things that can help distinguish the differences, such as:

1. unilateral pain in the head
2. certain neck movements that lead to a headache
3. limited neck movement
4. same-sided neck pain
5. Pain that comes up from the base of the neck in a C- shape and above or behind the eye

The pain may start in the neck before reaching the head. Sometimes just moving the head towards the painful side can cause this type of headache to flair up.

Commonly when we see clients for headaches, they have gone through the wringer, having seen multiple doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, and neurologists. Oftentimes they have had extensive testing, injections, prescriptions, botox, and more without any real answers or results. Sometimes they receive temporary relief at best.

Most treatments focus on the tight muscles at the base of the skull, but that is a symptom, not the cause. These muscles stiffen up typically due to poor joint function and mobility, as well as weakness of the small flexor muscles in the front of the neck that helps stabilize the neck and prevent excessive motion.

When these muscles do not work, the superficial muscles take over and are forced to work harder than usual. You can do all the work to the muscles on the back of the neck that you want, but they will just continue to be an issue until you resolve what is causing them to become protective and stiff.

How Can Our Physical Therapy Help With Headaches?

First, a thorough examination and history need to be taken to not only ensure that the headache occurrences are due to the musculoskeletal system but also to understand what is causing this to happen to you specifically. Once this has been done, your physical therapist will educate you on exactly what they found, why you are suffering from headaches, and exactly what the plan is to help your unique situation.

Depending on the examination, your therapist may choose to utilize a combination of techniques such as manual therapy, stretching, and therapeutic exercises. The important part is that you will be taught how to do everything on your own to put you in control of your headaches! All treatments are patient-specific to address each person’s limitations and dysfunctions.

5 Exercises to Stop Frequent Headaches

Here are videos for five exercises you can do to put a stop to headaches.

Take Action!

The physical therapists at MOVE Athletics can treat cervicogenic headaches with 1:1 physical therapy. Get started today.

Get help with YOUR headaches now