Could your headaches be coming from your neck?
Cliff Russell is a Registered, East Grinstead Osteopath who has helped many people with headaches and neck pain problems.
Although the concept had been around for a long time, it wasn’t until the 1980s that researchers began to formally suggest that certain types of headache were actually being caused by problems in the neck, rather than the skull or brain. They went on to validate this theory by doing experiments where they blocked (numbed) specific nerves at the top of the neck and then noticed that the headaches were relieved.
These headaches were given the term ‘cervicogenic’, and are now known to produce pain at the back of the head, around the temples, behind or around the eyes or even on the top of the head. One study estimated that up to 20% of people who suffered from chronic headaches were experiencing them due to their necks, with women being much more likely to suffer with them than men. Typically they are one-sided headaches and are accompanied by neck pain and/or stiffness and can get mistaken for other types of headache, for instance tension-type headaches or even migraines.
The mechanisms for cervicogenic headaches include;
Pinching of the occipital nerves at the top of the neck.
Tight muscles in the neck or shoulders which can lead to ‘trigger points’ which refer pain to the head.
Nerves at the top of the neck pass into the brain where they can sensitise other pain-sensitive structures like the nucleus of the trigeminal nerve, the meninges or cranial blood vessels
Overall, this means that if there is a problem with the upper neck joints, nerves or muscles then sometimes the brain may experience the problem in the form of headaches instead of or as well as pain in the neck itself.
How can osteopathy help?
Through sense of touch (palpation) osteopaths are able to assess how the different joints and muscles of the neck are functioning and identify any problem areas. Areas of stiffness or dysfunction can then be treated by gentle movement and stretching. In some cases, normal movement and function can be restored with specific spinal adjustments.
In my experience, poor posture, particularly a forward head position from too much computer use, plays a big part in cervicogenic headaches. A chronic forward head position leads to a compression of the joints and muscles at the top of the neck. This is known as the sub occipital area, and is an area strongly associated with cervicogenic headaches. As well as ‘hands on’ treatment, I always encourage my patients to optimise their posture through targeted stretching and strengthening exercises.
If you have headaches which you think might be coming from your neck then don’t suffer, call to book an appointment for your problem at Osteostudio.
Cliff Russell, Registered Osteopath
Osteostudio serving the areas of East Grinstead, Forest Row, Lingfield and the wider West Sussex area.
