Cervicogenic Headaches: What it is and how to treat it.

Understanding the link between your neck and your headaches

Do you get headaches that you can feel in the back of your neck which goes up to the front of your head or just behind your eyes? Your neck could be the cause of this headache. These are called “Cervicogenic headaches”.

What Is a Cervicogenic Headache?

Unlike migraines or tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches don’t start in your head. They begin in the joints, muscles and nerves of your upper neck.

The nerves in this area connect closely with the nerves that supply the head and face, so your brain can confuse where the pain is coming from — making it feel like a headache when the problem is really in your neck.

The joints are referred to as C0, C1, C2, and C3 which all can contibute to headaches. The nerve that supplies the head and face is called the trigeminal nerve. The joints each all have smaller nerves that converge together to form the larger trigeminal nerve.

Common Symptoms

You might have a cervicogenic headache if you notice:

  • Pain that starts at the base of your skull and spreads to your forehead, temple, behind the eyes, and even the jaw 

  • Headache that worsens with certain neck movements or sustained postures (like looking down at your phone or sitting at a computer for hours)

  • Neck stiffness or tenderness

  • Reduced neck movement

  • Sometimes, mild dizziness or blurred vision

Often, the pain is one-sided (on the same side as the neck problem).

What Causes It?

Cervicogenic headaches usually happen because of:

  • Poor posture — e.g., forward head posture from long periods of computer or phone use

  • Tight or overworked muscles in the neck and shoulders

  • Joint stiffness in the upper part of the neck (especially the top three vertebrae)

  • Previous injury, such as whiplash, a fall.

  • Stress and muscle tension

Think of your neck as the base that supports your head. When it becomes stiff, weak, or overloaded, it can send pain signals upward to the trigeminal nerve. When that nerve is irritated,  it can create that familiar, dull headache and neck pain.

How a Physiotherapist Can Help

Physiotherapists are specially trained to identify whether your headaches are coming from your neck.

Treatment usually includes:

1. Manual Therapy

Gentle, hands-on techniques to loosen stiff joints and relax tight muscles. This helps improve neck movement and reduce pain in short term. This alone is not enough to fix the underlying issue. But it can be a very effective treatment to settle down most of your headaches for a few days. Long term, you’ll need to work on correcting the root cause of the issue.

2. Targeted Exercise – Improve neck mobility, posture, and neck strength 

Specific exercises to strengthen your deep neck muscles and improve posture. These help take pressure off the irritated joints and nerves and provide long term relief. If you are consistent with your exercises, you should no longer suffer from headaches. if you do relapse and the headaches come back, you can always return back to doing those exercises again.

3. Posture & Ergonomic Advice

Your physio can show you how to adjust your work setup or sitting position to prevent strain on your neck.

4. Education & Self-Management

Understanding what triggers your headaches — and how to control them — is a big part of long-term relief. Often times, there is some specific movement pattern that may be loading up your upper neck. It could be looking to the left or to the right repetitively, it could be looking down at a phone or screen for long periods, it could be holding a baby for sustained periods of time. If you know what’s causing the pain, we can help provide some tips to help reduce the repetitive loading of the neck.

Simple Tips for Relief

  • Take regular breaks from screens — every 30–45 minutes, stretch your neck and shoulders. Your physio can help give you the right stretches for you. +

  • Check your posture: keep your head over your shoulders, try to minimise slouching as often as you can. Being mind of your posture is the most important thing. If you correct yourself often, you reduce the strain on your upper neck and the chance of headaches.

  • Use a supportive pillow that keeps your neck in line with your spine. Pillows that are either too soft or hard can place your neck out of alignment and unecessarily stress the upper neck.

  • Stay active — gentle movement is better than prolonged rest. Go for walks often and make it a habit of trying to look around you often so that you keep your neck mobile. Or you can try an exercsie class such as yoga or pilates and focus on trying to move your neck in all directions.

  • Manage stress — relaxation, deep breathing, and exercise all help reduce muscle tension.

The Good News

With the right treatment, most people experience significant improvement in their headaches and neck function. The key is identifying the neck as the source of the problem and addressing it directly.

If you think your headaches might be coming from your neck, talk to your physiotherapist — they can assess you and develop a personalised plan to help reduce your headaches, and give you an exericise program to help keep those headaches away for the long term.