Headaches and osteopathy: why your neck might be the cause
By the team at Matrix Health & Performance, Ivanhoe East
Headaches are one of the most common problems we see, and one of the most misunderstood. People often assume a headache is something to push through with painkillers and hope it passes. But a lot of the headaches we treat are not really coming from the head at all. They start in the neck and upper back.
That matters, because if the neck is driving the problem, the neck is where the answer usually is.
The headaches we see most often
Two types come through our doors again and again:
- Tension-type headaches: a dull, tight, band-like ache around the head, often building through the day
- Cervicogenic headaches: pain that starts in the neck or base of the skull and refers up into the head, often on one side
Why the neck is so often involved
The joints, muscles, and nerves at the top of your neck share close connections with the nerves that supply your head and face. When the upper neck becomes stiff, irritated, or overworked, that irritation can be felt as a headache rather than as neck pain. Many people are genuinely surprised to learn their headaches and their stiff neck are the same problem.
The usual driver is not dramatic. It is hours at a desk, a forward head posture, a jaw that clenches under stress, and shoulders that live up around the ears. The tissues at the base of the skull stay switched on all day, and the headache is the result.
How osteopathy can help
Because these headaches are often mechanical, hands-on treatment of the neck and upper back can make a real difference for many people. Treatment might include soft tissue work, gentle joint mobilisation, and releasing the muscles at the base of the skull, paired with simple changes to how you sit and move through the day.
We also look for the driver, not just the symptom. If your headaches keep coming back, addressing the desk setup, the movement habits, and the tension patterns behind them tends to matter more than treating each headache as it arrives.
When a headache needs your GP first
Most headaches are benign, but some need medical assessment. See your GP promptly if a headache is sudden and severe, is different from any you have had before, comes with vision changes, fever, or weakness, or follows a head injury. If anything about your headaches concerns us, we will point you back to your GP rather than press on.
Where to start
If you get regular headaches and have a stiff, tight neck to go with them, it is worth having the neck properly assessed. At your first appointment we will work out whether your headaches are the kind osteopathy can help with, explain what we find, and give you a clear plan rather than another packet of painkillers.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Individual circumstances vary, so if you are dealing with pain or an injury, get it assessed properly.
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