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Cervicogenic Headache
A cervicogenic headache is a headache whose source is the neck rather than the head itself. The top three segments of the neck share nerve pathways with the head and face, so a problem there gets felt as head pain. It is often treated as migraine for years before anyone examines the neck — and unlike migraine, it responds directly to treating the neck.
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Does this sound like you?
Most people have several of these, not all of them.
- Pain starting at the base of the skull and spreading over one side of the head
- Consistently the same side, rather than swapping between episodes
- Brought on by neck movement or by holding one position
- Reduced neck rotation, noticeably worse towards the painful side
- Pain behind the eye or into the temple on that side
- Pressing the upper neck reproduces the familiar headache
Why it happens
- Restricted movement in the upper cervical joints, particularly the top three segments
- Sustained forward-head posture at a screen or over a phone
- A previous whiplash or other neck injury
- Tension through the suboccipital muscles at the base of the skull
- An unsupportive pillow or a habitual sleep position
What we would do about it
Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.
- Manual therapy to the upper cervical joints, the single most effective component
- Dry needling or soft tissue release through the suboccipital muscles
- Deep neck flexor strengthening, to hold the change between sessions
- Postural and workstation changes, screen height in particular
- Pillow and sleep position review
- Tracking headache frequency and intensity, so progress is measured rather than guessed at
See a doctor first if
- Your pain followed a significant injury
- It is getting worse rather than settling
- It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.
If headache medication is not touching it, check the neck
Cervicogenic headaches are diagnosed by examining the neck, not by scanning the head. One assessment is usually enough to tell whether your neck is the source. Ask a question first, or call us on 0403 907 587.
New patient? Choose Initial Consultation. Your assessment is free, and treatment is $49 when you book your second session, otherwise $98. Offer terms
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Read more about cervicogenic headache
Other neck conditions we treat
Related reading: the desk posture that often drives it, headaches following an accident and wear in the neck joints.
General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Cervicogenic Headache on Physiopedia.
