Are you experiencing constant headaches in the back of your skull with neck symptoms? In some cases, head pain can arise from bony structures or soft tissues of the neck. Cervicogenic headaches are caused from neck/headache pain due to upper and middle cervical spine mobility deficits. Most of the time it is due to tightness in muscles from the upper back to the neck and weakness in our postural muscles that help support and maintain our head alignment.
It is important to determine the primary cause by performing a thorough musculoskeletal assessment in the cervical and thoracic spine. In general, this picture depicts where the issues are and what we would focus on with Physical Therapy.
Physical therapy will teach and address posture. Some patients with cervical pain tend to have forward head posture and rounded shoulders, therefore reinforcing good posture will help restore muscle balance. Our focus will be to stretch and improve muscle elasticity and strengthen the weak muscles. The goal will be to improve posture and movement to decrease symptoms caused by cervicogenic headaches through therapeutic exercises, manual therapy and/or modalities.
Below are some very simple exercises that can be done to stretch and strengthen some important muscles.
While lying on your back, tuck your chin towards your chest and press the back of your head into the table. Hold 5 seconds and repeat 10 times.
While sitting in a chair, hold the seat with one hand and bend your head towards the opposite side for a gentle stretch on the side of the neck. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 3 times on each side.
These are the kind of exercises we will begin with in order to restore movement and decrease pain. Any questions related to cervicogenic headaches or to get an appointment, FullMotion Physical Therapy can assist you. Request an appointment online at www.fullmotionpt.net or call us at 949-542-5000.
