There are lots of causes of headaches. One of the more common causes is cervicogenic headache (or headache that originates from the neck). But how do you know if your headache is coming from the neck and not due to something else?
How does your neck cause headaches?
First a little bit of background anatomy (you can skip this part if you want to cut to the chase)…
The neck can refer pain to different parts of the body. You may be familiar with pain that can run down the arm due to irritation or pressure on a nerve in the neck. Well the top three levels of your neck (C1-3) can refer pain or different symptoms (tingling, numbness, burning etc) into your head and face.
Reference: Neck pain and headache: Pathophysiology, treatments and future directions. Al-Khazali, Haidar M. et al., Musculoskeletal Science & Practice, Volume 66, 102804
The nerves that originate from the top three levels of the neck converge at a relay station (cervico-trigeminal nucleus) near the base of the skull and then go out from there to provide sensation to all over the face and head. This relay station is like a communication hub. So if your neck is a bit stiff or sensitised this information gets sent to the relay station which can then message that on in the form of pain in your head.
Your body and brain is all about protecting you. Pain is just one way it goes about alerting you that something is not right and that you need to pay attention. Stiffness in the joints in your neck of tight/sensitsed muscles can in certain contexts trigger that protection response.
How can you work out if your neck is the source of your headache?
Here’s a quick test you can use to determine if your neck is causing your headache (please read to the end before attempting there’s some advice around how to do this safely and ).
- Sit down with your back supported in an upright chair
- Take note of where you feel your headache and the intensity.
- Check your neck movements (up, down, rotate, stick your chin fowards and tuck it back in)
- Take note if any of these feel tighter than normal or cause pain
- Pull your chin in (chin tuck)
- Repeat this x10-20
- Take note of your symptoms: have they changed? Increased/decreased, changed location?
Interpreting the response to this test
Option one: things got better…
- If your pain has improved or symptoms have moved towards the neck – then good news it’s likely your headache is coming from your neck and that chin tuck movement should help alleviate it.
- You can keep doing that movement x10 every couple of hours or when you feel your headache.
- Often the headache fully resolves with one movement alone
Option two: things got worse
- If the chin tuck movement caused an increase in your pain that remained worse after or your symptoms spread further away from the neck – stop and book a physio consultation.
- The good news is your headache is likely coming from your neck but may be a little more complicated to resolve. Getting the right movement is important so a thorough assessment is the key next step.
- Also important to note you won’t have damaged anything or made your headache worse in a lasting sense (it’s safe to slowly explore these movements)
Option three: nothing changed
- This will either require some further testing (hold the chin tuck for up to 30 seconds) – if nothing changed here then it’s likely your headache is not coming from the neck and might be caused by something else.
- If you’re uncertain, booking a physio appointment can help be sure it’s not related to your neck. You may benefit from going to see your GP for other management options.
Caution: If you’re experiencing any of the following seek advice from your GP or health professional first:
- Sudden onset of high intensity headache
- Changes in your vision or speech
- Blacking out episodes or fainting