Cervicogenic headaches (Headaches Part 2)
Posted Wednesday, Jul 22, 2024 by Dr Gerry Keown. Filed under Conditions
Following on from the last post on tension headaches (Part 1), let’s look at another very common headache called “cervicogenic headache”. These headaches are caused by problems affecting the joints and muscles at the top of your neck.
Most people experience tenderness or pain at the base of the skull and top of the neck, and your neck may also feel tight and restricted.
How common is it?
We see these headaches every day in clinic, about as often as we see tension headaches. These headaches are typically mild—moderate in severity, occur only on one side of your head, and usually cause a headache at the base of your skull and a tight neck. The headache might also cause spread to your temple, forehead, or around or behind your eye.
What causes it?
The outer layers around your brain and spinal cord are called the meninges. You may have heard of someone suffering from bacterial or viral meningitis. This is inflammation of the meninges caused by infection. A nerve at the top of your neck, called C1, also innervates the meninges around the base of your brain. Problems with the muscles or joints at the top of your neck can inflame this nerve, causing this headache. Unlike infectious meningitis, this is a sterile meningitis, because there is no infection.
What triggers them?
These headaches are commonly caused by prolonged postures, such as sitting at a computer for hours on end. We have seen a lot more of these since people started working from home, propped up with a laptop on the bed, or sitting at a dining table. Aside from poor ergonomics, many people working from home maintain these postures for longer times because they don’t get up and go over to a colleague’s desk, or over to the printer. The research has shown that the amount of time you spend in a given posture is a significant risk factor for developing neck pain and cervicogenic headaches.
How is it treated?
Similar to tension headaches, the research shows that these headaches respond well to manual treatments, such as chiropractic, osteopathy, and myotherapy and massage. These headaches respond well to very simple and easy exercises, and occupational strategies to prevent recurrence.
Dr Gerard Keown started practice in 1997 as a remedial massage therapist and went on to complete his Bachelor of Health Science as a Naturopath in 2003, before finally completing a Masters Degree in Chiropractic at Macquarie University in 2010. He also has a special interest in headaches and neck pain.