There are many types of headaches, and at some point in your life you may have experienced one form or another. These conditions vary from migraines to tension, Vertebrogenic and tension headaches. If you are wondering if a neck injury can cause a headache, you are fine. Neck injury is the leading cause of a variety of headaches. Trouble in your joint region of the neck can cause severe headaches.
why neck pain causes headaches are (nerves). In particular, pain arises from the way in which the sensory nerves that carry messages from your neck interact with the sensory nerves that carry pain signals from your head and face to your brain. This interaction can lead to the transfer of painful sensations from your neck to your head. A headache that develops because of a neck problem is called a male headache.
What condition of neck pain leading to headaches
The cause of headaches associated with neck pain and dysfunction is usually due to compression caused by the neck muscles that tighten the upper nerve roots in the neck region, resulting in lightening pain within the head. Occasionally, mild sensitivity and noise, as well as nausea, may be accompanied by severe headache, which only exacerbates the limitations of activities associated with neck pain.
Headaches are one of the most common diseases that affect people’s daily lives. Everyone complains about different types of headaches, pain positions, duration and cause of these headaches. Fortunately, physical therapy can help evaluate treating and controlling symptoms as well as treating the cause of the problem.
How do you know it’s my neck and not my head causing the pain?
Cervicogenic headaches can be difficult to diagnose as symptoms mimic other headaches, including migraines. In fact, many chronic headaches include neck pain as a common symptom. 20% of chronic headache complaints are due to cervicogenic headache. This means that regular head treatments will not reduce your symptoms as they do not address the cause of the condition.
Neck pain and headaches, unfortunately often, go hand in hand. Most people experience one experience with another. Pain that can be a minor inconvenience at work or at home can turn out to be the end of your productivity for a day. Neck pain and headaches are mainly caused by the distortion of the bones in your neck. These changes put pressure on the soft tissues around it and cause constant pain in your neck or headache.
Symptoms of neck pain causing headache
It requires your physiotherapist to interpret all the symptoms and results of a physical examination in order to diagnose it correctly. People often complain about tenderness on the neck and base of the skull. People usually describe their headaches as follows;
- Your head can be seen from the outside in the back to the front of your head.
- Your head is irritated or reduced by neck movement, continuous posture, lying on your stomach or with your head turned to one side.
- Your head usually looks bad on one side of your head. The side is usually normal and does not change sides.
- Your head seems to slow down as you apply pressure or when you hit your neck or the base of your skull.
Causes of neck pain causing headache
The neck is also called the cervical spine. It is made up of seven bones that support the head and allow the nerves to travel from the spine to the brain. When any part of the neck is injured or strained, pain can occur. Other common causes of neck and head pain include;
Poor posture; While some people seem to have good posture, many squirm or squirm while standing or sitting. When resting or walking, poor posture can put extra stress on your neck, causing pain.
Bad sleeping position; It is important to properly support the head and neck while you sleep. Some types of sleepers, especially those who sleep on their stomachs, put a lot of strain on their backs when they turn their necks to one side while sleeping and lift their backs.
Past injuries; Trauma, such as a car accident or other type of neck injury, can cause permanent pain. For example, whipping occurs when the neck is suddenly forward and backward. It often causes neck pain and stiffness.
Sitting style on car; How you run can contribute to neck pain. The way you sit in the driver’s seat should be easy for you to keep your back straight without leaning forward or resting your neck. If the seat is too back or too low, it is likely to lean forward and put emphasis on the neck. Prolonged driving can also cause eye problems, which can lead to neck discomfort.
Looking phone; If you check your phone regularly, you may have noticed a sore throat. Looking at your phone with your head down and your shoulders bent affects the neckline of your neck, which can lead to problems. When you bend forward, there is more weight and pressure on the neck, which can lead to muscle strain.
Working style; Sitting in front of a computer or desk all day is known to contribute to back problems, as well as neck pain. If your computer monitor is too low or too high, you should examine your neck to clearly see the screen, putting more pressure on your neck.
Prevention of neck pain causing headache
If your neck is sore and you do not have the severe symptoms listed above, there are simple things you can do to reduce the discomfort.
- Stretching; Primary necks can reduce muscle tension.
- Heat; A warm pack or hot water bottle in the area for 15-20 minutes at a time can reduce muscle stiffness and spasm. Be careful not to burn yourself as mild heat is what is needed.
- Keep moving; Although it can be a little stressful it is important to try to keep your neck moving as much as possible to avoid stiffness, but make sure you stand up if you experience severe pain.
- Watch your posture; Be careful to keep your neck in a neutral position during continuous posture such as watching TV, reading or using a computer.
Treatment of neck pain causing headache
If you are experiencing pain, it is important that you see one of our licensed physiotherapists. There is a lot you can do to help your neck pain and headaches. The key is to prevent neck pain from starting in the first place.
1. Change your diet
Adjustment is the best way to solve this. However, there are steps you can take to help alleviate your pain and help speed up your recovery.
- Hydrate; Drinking water is important as it can have serious side effects for neck pain and headaches / migraines.
- Vitamin B; are shown to help with nervous function. Adding them to your diet can help with chronic headaches or migraines.
- Potassium; Adding potassium to your diet can help with chronic neck pain and tension headaches.
Just these nutritional changes are the changes you can make in your daily life, which along with adjustments, can end your neck pain or headaches.
2. Rest
Tension headaches are called this for a reason, relaxing and reducing stress can help reduce headaches. Although stress is an undeniable part of life, excessive stress can lead to more serious illnesses, such as high blood pressure or heart disease. Activities that strain your neck and spine should be reduced and stretching rest should be a regular part of your work day.
3. Physical therapy
Therapies by a physiotherapist are often effective in reducing symptoms and improving performance that has contributed to headaches. This is achieved by a variety of methods. Manual therapy as a means of joint mobilization is used to help improve mobility in strong joints.
Massage techniques are performed to relax muscles that have been uncomfortable or are in a spasm. A variety of stretching exercises are used to deal with excess muscle or flexibility. Strength exercises are performed to help stimulate weak muscles and posture training is performed to restore balance to the head, neck and shoulder.
4. Exercise
While most people think of exercises as cycling or running, targeted exercises are designed to strengthen a particular body part, increase flexibility and mobility and improve range of motion. When it comes to neck pain, targeted exercises can include stretching, exercises to improve posture and core strength, and techniques to improve flexibility in your neck muscles. Often, targeted exercise is part of a general rehabilitation program designed by a chiropractor or physiotherapist.
5. Medication
One popular way to treat neck pain at home is through the use of anti-inflammatory or sedative drugs. While a few doses can help us move after an injury, taking these medications regularly for several days or weeks can cause stomach problems.
Many people use the power of anti-inflammatory drugs to help their neck pain, but often these come with serious side effects. Others rely on prescription opioid medications to control their pain levels. In each case, the drug is simply used to mask the symptom. It does not help to address the underlying cause of a person’s neck pain or stiffness.