One of the most common types of headaches is the cervicogenic headache which is the name given to a headache originating from the neck. When a part of our neck such as the joints, muscles, nerves or ligaments are damaged or put under strain we can experience referred pain to our head area. This is due to the fact that the nerves which supply the neck area also serve the skin surrounding the head, eyes and ears.

Damage or strain to the neck does not necessarily need to be severe in order to cause a referring pain headache. It is quite often the case that such headaches begin after a build up of muscle tightness and imbalance caused by poor posture while sitting at a desk for prolonged periods of time, for example.

Neck pain left untreated will often cause a headache of varying intensity, sometimes made worse by specific movements.

Let’s take the tension headache for example, a common condition. There is some debate as to whether this type of headache is curable, or whether the best we can do is help sufferers manage their symptoms.

From my experience the extent to which a patient can manage stress, lifestyle factors and posture has much to do with how successful we are in in treatment as these are all known to drive tension headaches.

Firstly I want to explain here the three most common types of headaches. The cervicogenic (neck related), migraine and tension type headache.

Headaches are among the most commonly treated problems in medical practice. 

In this post Paula Morgan reviews - “Myofascial Trigger Points and Their Relationship to Headache Clinical Parameters in Chronic Tension Type Headache”

The fact acupuncture is an effective treatment for headaches and migraines is not news for us. We have been effectively applying medical acupuncture techniques alongside our Physiotherapy practise for many years, with excellent results.

I am currently managing a lady in her mid forties, a real achiever and very driven in the workplace who suffers from chronic muscular tension type headaches for many years.