Cervicogenic Headaches

Most of us suffer from headaches at some point, and you may think it’s nothing to be concerned about. Persistent headaches could be due to damage to the muscles, nerves, joints or ligaments of the top three vertebrae of the neck.  Therefore, you should not ignore it and think that it is just another headache.  More so, if nothing seems to be helping ease the pain.

Even though a good majority of the populace have faced this problem, most do not understand the difference between the different types of headaches and their causes.   However, the good news is that the most common type of headache is a cervicogenic headache and can be easily treated.

This type of headache arises from the neck.  The basic cause related to cervicogenic headache is due to the tension in the joints in the upper part of the neck. In the normal posture, joints are permitted to move freely and give strain free action of the neck. However, if a joint around the muscles or ligaments is hurt or troubled, the joints can become tense and incur pain into parts of the head or across the eyes.

The reason behind Cervicogenic headaches

The primary causes behind Cervicogenicheadache are excessive stressful activities that place strain on the joints of the upper neck. This may  arise  suddenly on account of a peculiar   activity such as  heavy lifting or prolonged bending, poor posture, lifting, twisting of the neck, computer work or any work involving utilizing the arms in the forward position of the body.

Symptoms related to Cervicogenic headaches

Those suffering from cervicogenic headaches usually have gradual pain in the neck and headache during any new activity. It has also been found that some patients also suffer from stiffness and pain after waking up the next morning upon doing a challenging activity.

The patients suffering from this condition usually experience a continuous slow pain behind the head, sometimes in the temple region or behind the eyes or on the upper part of the forehead, head or near the ear. The pain is experienced either on both the sides of the head and face or on one side.

Those having cervicogenic headache generally have trouble in turning their neck followed by excruciating neck pain and stiffness along with their headache syndromes.  Some patients may also experience nausea or dizziness, tinnitus and lack of concentration.

Moreover, some activities also contribute in aggravating this condition such as  sitting  constantly in one  position like  driving or  working at a computer, bad posture  and some movements of the neck.

Some patients may also develop moderate sensitivity to light while some patients may experience headache along with ache in the arm and shoulder on the same side.

Treatments and Cure for Cervicogenic headache

Physiotherapy treatments for those suffering with this condition are necessary to accelerate the curing process and to guarantee an excellent outcome and diminish the prospect of injury intermittence. Other ways to cure cervicogenic headache are Pilates, dry needling and massage.