You’ve tried everything. You keep painkillers in your desk drawer. You’ve adjusted your screen height, bought a new pillow, and maybe even visited your doctor multiple times. Yet those persistent headaches keep coming back, often starting at the base of your skull and radiating forward toward your temples or behind your eyes.
What if your chronic headaches aren’t a “headache problem” at all? For many Aurora residents dealing with recurring head pain, the root cause is actually in the neck, a condition called cervicogenic headache that responds exceptionally well to physiotherapy treatment.
Key Takeaways:
- Cervicogenic headaches originate from neck dysfunction and affect 4-20% of chronic headache sufferers, with pain starting at the skull base and radiating forward.
- Manual therapy combined with targeted neck exercises effectively reduces headache intensity and frequency in both short-term and long-term outcomes.
- Proper diagnosis through comprehensive physiotherapy assessment identifies the specific neck structures causing your headaches.
- Treatment addresses root mechanical causes rather than masking symptoms, providing lasting relief through evidence-based interventions.
Understanding Cervicogenic Headaches
Cervicogenic headache is a secondary headache, meaning it originates from dysfunction in your cervical spine (neck) rather than your brain. The prevalence ranges from 4.1% to 20%, with pain typically starting in the neck or occipital area and spreading to the front of the head where maximum pain is frequently located.
Unlike migraines that originate in the brain, cervicogenic headaches stem from structures in your upper cervical spine: the joints, discs, muscles, and ligaments. Research has identified that reduced cervical motion, upper cervical joint signs, and impaired deep neck flexor function accurately identify cervicogenic headache and differentiate it from migraine and tension-type headache.
At Gemini Health Group in Aurora, our registered physiotherapists see this regularly in office workers, frequent drivers, and people who spend hours looking at devices. The modern lifestyle creates perfect conditions for neck-related headaches.
How to Tell If Your Neck Is Causing Your Headaches
Cervicogenic headaches have specific characteristics:
Common symptoms include:
- One-sided headache that stays on the same side
- Pain starting at the base of your skull or upper neck
- Pain radiating forward to your forehead, temple, or behind your eye
- Neck movements or sustained positions trigger symptoms
- Reduced neck mobility or stiffness
- Headaches worsen throughout the day, especially after sitting
Many Aurora patients describe a constant, dull ache that intensifies with activity, very different from the throbbing pain of migraines. The key difference? Your neck is involved, and specific neck positions or movements consistently affect your headache.
Why Modern Life Creates Neck-Related Headaches
Several factors contribute to cervicogenic headaches:
Poor posture: Hours hunched over a laptop, whether working from your Aurora home office or commuting to Toronto, places enormous stress on your upper cervical spine. Forward head posture can add up to 60 pounds of force on neck structures.
Repetitive strain: Looking down at your phone, repeatedly checking blind spots while driving on the 404, or maintaining awkward head positions during work create repetitive stress on cervical joints.
Muscle imbalances: Weak deep neck flexor muscles combined with overactive upper trapezius muscles create perfect conditions for cervicogenic headaches.
Previous injuries: Even minor whiplash from motor vehicle accidents can create lasting dysfunction in your upper cervical spine, sometimes years after the initial injury.
Evidence-Based Physiotherapy Treatment
Here’s the good news: Evidence suggests that manual therapy and exercise therapy may reduce headache intensity, frequency, and disability both in the short term and long term for people living with cervicogenic headache.
How We Treat Cervicogenic Headaches
Comprehensive Assessment
Our registered physiotherapists in Aurora conduct thorough evaluations including cervical spine mobility testing, upper cervical joint examination, deep neck flexor muscle testing, and posture assessment. This allows us to differentiate cervicogenic headaches from other types and create targeted treatment plans.
Manual Therapy
Research demonstrates that a combination of therapist-driven cervical manipulation and mobilization with cervico-scapular strengthening is most effective for decreasing pain outcomes in those with cervicogenic headache. We use hands-on techniques to restore normal movement to restricted joints, release muscle tension, and address dysfunction contributing to pain referral.
Targeted Exercises
Moderate-certainty evidence indicates that neck exercise significantly reduces headache intensity in the long term. Our programs include:
- Deep neck flexor strengthening for better cervical support
- Cervico-scapular strengthening to maintain proper posture
- Mobility exercises to restore normal spine movement
- Postural correction strategies for long-term success
Self-Management Education
We teach you proper ergonomic setup, strategies to break up prolonged sitting, self-mobilization techniques, and posture awareness. The best treatment empowers you to manage your own symptoms.
What to Expect from Treatment
Most patients at Gemini Health Group notice improvement within the first few treatments. Research shows that manual therapy significantly reduces headache frequency in the short term, while exercise provides sustained long-term benefits.
During your initial 60-minute assessment, we take a comprehensive headache history, perform a physical examination, identify specific structures contributing to your pain, create a personalized treatment plan, and begin hands-on treatment during your first visit.
We focus on one-on-one care. You receive the full attention of a registered physiotherapist during your entire appointment. No assistants, no treatment tables in rows. Just focused, expert care designed for lasting results.
Get Lasting Relief from Chronic Headaches
If you’ve been living with recurring headaches, especially with neck stiffness or pain, it’s time to consider that your neck might be the problem. Cervicogenic headaches respond very well to physiotherapy treatment, often better than medication alone.
You don’t have to keep painkillers in your desk drawer or plan your life around headaches. With the right assessment and treatment, most people experience significant, lasting improvement.
At Gemini Health Group, our registered physiotherapists in Aurora specialize in evidence-based treatment for cervicogenic headaches and neck-related pain. Located at 235 Industrial Pkwy S Unit 11, we’re easily accessible for residents throughout York Region. All our physiotherapists are registered with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, and we offer direct billing to most insurance providers.
Contact Gemini Health Group today to book your comprehensive headache assessment.
