Although they are very common and lots of people experience them on a regular basis, headaches can be really painful and have a big impact on day-to-day life. Waking up with a headache that you just can’t shift can affect you for the rest of your day, making it difficult to focus on work or enjoy time with your family and friends.
There are actually lots of different types of headaches that can cause you to want to spend the day in bed too and this referred pain arising can occur for a number of reasons. So, the headaches you’re suffering from might not be a result of things such as; dehydration, tiredness, stress, eyesight problems or illness. In fact, a surprising number of headaches are ‘cervicogenic headaches’ and these are slightly different from common tension-type headaches.
If you’ve never heard of a cervicogenic headache before and you’d like to learn more about them, below we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about this type of headache disorders.
What is a cervicogenic headache?
Simply put, a cervicogenic headache are migraine headaches that are caused by the neck. Typically, this type of headache starts as pain in the joints and/or muscles in the neck and then moves up into the head, although some people never experience neck pain at all. Lots of people get a cervicogenic headache confused with migraines as the symptoms can overlap. However, a cervicogenic headache are different because they are directly caused by problems with the neck, whereas with migraines neck problems might just be one of the triggers.
Some common symptoms of a cervicogenic headache include; one-sided neck pain, head pain caused by moving the neck, pressure and stiffness at the top of the neck/bottom of the head and restricted neck movement. Often people will instinctively want to press on the neck or back of the head to relieve some pressure. Ultimately, it is important to note that whilst you will usually feel cervicogenic headaches in your head, the pain doesn’t actually start here.
What causes this type of headache?
As mentioned above, lots of headaches are caused by things like dehydration, tiredness and eyesight problems, but a cervicogenic headache are the result of problems with the bones, cervical spine, joints or muscles in your neck. For many, a cervicogenic headache are caused by them having bad posture with your upper cervical spine which puts more strain on the neck.
Depending on the industry you work in, you may find that your cervicogenic headache is being caused by the way you hold your head during the working day too. This is often the case for people like hairdressers, truck drivers and office workers as they tend to have a forward head posture, commonly referred to as cervical protraction.
Another common cause of cervicogenic headaches is sleeping in an awkward position. Your posture at night affects you just as much as your posture during the day and some sleeping positions can put increased pressure on your neck, resulting in cervicogenic headaches. Sometimes, cervicogenic headaches can be caused by an injury or whiplash injury too.
How do you treat cervicogenic headaches?
There are a few different ways that you can treat a cervicogenic headache pain, but for a long term solution to this type of pain, it is beneficial to undertake manual therapy such as chiropractic and other alternative therapies. Both strengthening your neck muscles and improving the mobility of your joints can be effective in preventing a cervicogenic headache.
Learning how to maintain a good posture, whether you’re standing, sitting or laying down is incredibly beneficial too when you experience a cervicogenic headache pain quite frequently. Visiting a chiropractor for physical therapy can be really useful as not only will they teach you all about correct posture, but they can also provide you with exercises to rehabilitate, strengthen and stabilise.
In some circumstances, depending on the severity of your cervicogenic headache, a medical professional may recommend pain medication or nerve blockers. However, the vast majority of the time, physical therapy, cervical spine manipulation and chiropractic care will be the first treatment options medical professionals suggest trying.
Visiting a chiropractor for headaches
Hopefully, you will now know a little bit more about cervicogenic headaches and if you think the migraine headache that you experience might actually be caused by your neck, it is beneficial to speak to an expert about cervicogenic headaches in more detail about physical therapy that may help. If you would like to visit a chiropractor for headaches in the hope they can relieve some of the pain you’re experiencing, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at ChiroCulture today.
We will gladly discuss this type of headache with you in more detail and book you a consultation to see a chiropractor. Here at ChiroCulture, not only do we aim to reduce or alleviate people’s aches and pains, but it is our mission to inspire change. Your health affects everything you do and it is undeniably one of the best investments you can make, so let us help you create a wellness plan for your priorities, goals and lifestyle habits. We really can provide you with the chiropractic care you need to be able to live life to the fullest.
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