How many times have you thought of somebody to be “a pain in the neck”? Interestingly, however, a number of physical issues that affect the neck actually manifest themselves as “a pain in the head” – or a headache. There are many causes of neck pain and of headaches, so make sure you are informed before you decide upon a course of treatment – get a diagnosis from your physician or physiotherapist.
How to Relieve Neck Pain
Physiotherapists are trained to diagnose and treat neck joint dysfunctions and muscle imbalances. Your physiotherapist may employ some or all of the following techniques, depending on the individual diagnosis of your neck pain:
- Gentle join mobilization and manipulation to loosen or unlock stiff neck joints.
- Strengthening exercises for weak muscles, focusing on neck muscles and postural shoulder blades.
- Stretching, massage, acupuncture, dry needling or other relaxation techniques to provide relief to tight or overactive muscles.
- Deep neck muscle strengthening exercises for control, stabilization and limiting the joint movement of unstable joints.
- Exercise, awareness, taping or a brace to correct poor posture.
- Prevention advice regarding awkward postures to avoid in future.
In addition, if you have any type of nerve dysfunction, it will be addressed with special care. Depending upon the severity of your problem and its underlying causes, it should be resolved within a few days or a few weeks. Rehabilitation will be based on both treatment and prevention.
Why Does my Neck Hurt?
Although the physical problem originates in the neck, the pain radiates to the head, causing discomfort; the pain signals travel from your neck to the trigeminocervical nucleus in your brainstem and a headache results. Research has shown that neck headaches account for anywhere from 4% to 22% of all headaches treated clinically.
Various musculoskeletal or neurovascular structures in your cervical spine (neck) can be at the root of cervicogenic neck headaches when they are out of balance or malfunctioning. Your neck joints, neck muscles and nerves are the most likely culprits of your neck pain.
- Your joints may be too stiff or too wobbly – unsupported because surrounding muscles are weak.
- The joints may also be locked in an abnormal joint position, likely due to poor posture. Given the number of us who sit in front of computer terminals all day, this shouldn’t be surprising.
- Problems with your cervical disks may also result in pain that radiates from neck to head.
Your neck muscles may work too hard if they are trying to protect injured joints. Over time the balance in your neck muscles changes, causing your head to feel heavy because some of the muscles that should be supporting your head have weakened, while the others have tried to compensate. Neck muscles work best when they have normal resting tension, length, strength, power and endurance.
Common Neck Headache Symptoms
If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, you likely have a neck headache:
- Tenderness at the base of the skull and top of the neck.
- Neck stiffness or mild loss of movement.
- Your headache pain radiates from the back of the head to the front.
- Your headache is centred on one side of your head or the other and stays there.
- When you apply pressure or massage the base of your skull or your neck, the pain eases.
- Your headache is lessened or heightened by a sustained posture, neck movement, or sleeping on your stomach or with your head turned to one side.
Given that there are more than 300 known causes for headaches, your physiotherapist may determine that the neck isn’t the cause of your headache. If your symptoms indicate a different cause, they will direct you toward the proper source of treatment.