Relieve Neck Pain and Headaches

Introduction

Upper cervical hypomobility, or reduced mobility in the neck, is a common condition that can generate headaches. Because of the frequency or intensity of these headaches, patients are often put on medications or left to just wait out their headaches. Below, we'll explore the link between cervical hypomobility and headaches, and how physical therapy can help alleviate or eliminate them from your life. 

Understanding the Cervico-Cranial Connection

The neck and head are intricately connected, with the cervical spine playing a crucial role in supporting the skull and facilitating movement. When cervical hypomobility occurs, it can disrupt this delicate balance, leading to tension and strain in the surrounding muscles and joints, producing headaches. 

These headaches are often more intense on one side of the skull and feel like they wrap around the skull into the orbital area, or eye socket. Additionally, patients tend to have tightness of their neck and upper shoulder muscles, especially when their head is unsupported.

How Cervical Hypomobility Leads to Headaches:

1. *Muscle Tension*: Reduced mobility in the neck leads to increased muscle tension, which can radiate to the head and face, causing headache pain.

2. *Joint Irritation*: Hypomobility can irritate the facet joints in the neck, causing inflammation and pain that can be referred to the head.

3. *Nerve Compression*: Tightness in the neck can compress nerves, leading to pain and numbness in the face and neck or going down the arm.

How Physical Therapy Can Help Headaches

Reducing Muscle Tension: reducing tension of the muscles attaching to the occiput, or base of the skull, can help reduce the pulling sensation in the back of your head and decrease intensity of headaches. This can also help prevent future headaches. 

Upper Joint Mobilizations: Performing a joint mobilization involves moving one vertebrae segment on another, creating cervical movement at that part of the neck. This can help restore normal neck movement and take pressure off other vertebral segments. 

Identifying Aggravating Factors: whether your work set up is causing cervical irritation or you're compensating for a lack of mobility elsewhere, PT can help identify the root cause of why you frequently get headaches and how to mitigate these factors. 

Conclusion

The role of upper cervical dysfunction is often ignored in those who frequently suffer from headaches. However, physical therapy is one of the most effective means of treating headaches without the negative side effects that often come with medication. Even better, if you regularly get headaches and would like a more effective way at addressing them then what you've been prescribed, call or text us HERE