Headaches
When headaches come from the neck, treating the neck changes them — often within a few sessions.
What is headaches?
Not all headaches are the same. Cervicogenic headaches arise from structures in the upper neck and are typically one-sided, starting at the base of the skull and spreading forward, often with neck stiffness. Tension-type headaches feel like a band of pressure around the head and are linked to sustained muscle tension and stress.
Both respond well to physiotherapy. Migraine is a different, neurological condition, though neck treatment can still reduce how often attacks are triggered for some people.
Common symptoms
- Pain starting at the base of the skull
- One-sided head pain spreading to the forehead or eye
- A band-like pressure around the head
- Neck stiffness accompanying the headache
- Headaches triggered by desk work or driving
- Tenderness in the neck and upper shoulder muscles
- Headaches that worsen through the day
What causes it
- Stiffness or irritation in the upper cervical joints
- Trigger points in neck and shoulder muscles
- Sustained postures and prolonged screen time
- Stress and jaw clenching
- Poor sleep or an unsuitable pillow
- Previous whiplash or neck injury
How physiotherapy helps
Assessment establishes whether your neck is genuinely contributing — often by reproducing your familiar headache with pressure on specific upper cervical segments, which is both diagnostic and reassuring.
Treatment combines manual therapy to the upper neck with deep neck flexor strengthening; the combination has good evidence for reducing headache frequency and intensity, with effects that hold at follow-up.
- Upper cervical joint mobilisation
- Soft tissue and trigger-point release
- Dry needling where appropriate
- Deep neck flexor and postural endurance training
- Jaw and breathing assessment where relevant
- Workstation, screen and sleep advice
- Headache diary and trigger identification
When to seek treatment
- Headaches occurring weekly or more
- Headaches with neck pain or stiffness
- Headaches after a neck injury
- Increasing reliance on pain medication
- Urgent: sudden severe headache, or headache with fever, visual loss or neurological symptoms — seek medical care immediately
Frequently asked questions
Let's get you moving again
If this sounds like what you're dealing with, an assessment is the quickest way to understand it properly. Headaches responds well to the right plan.