Cervicogenic headaches are a type of headache that can be caused by irritation or inflammation of the nerves, ligaments and tendons in your neck. They’re believed to come from a misalignment of your upper cervical spine, which is located in the back of your neck.
Cervicogenic headaches are often accompanied by tenderness in the upper trapezius muscle (the muscle connecting your neck to your shoulder). They can also mimic other headache types, including tension-type headaches and migraines. However, they’re usually not accompanied by visual disturbances, nausea or vomiting. This type of headache is most often caused by stress, but it can also be caused by injuries from car accidents and falls, such as whiplash.
If you have cervicogenic headaches, you may benefit from performing certain exercises regularly to realign your spine and relieve tension in the muscles surrounding it. Doing such exercises regularly can help keep you from developing chronic headaches. Here are four exercises that a physical therapist may recommend to ease cervicogenic headache symptoms:
- Lateral neck flexion exercise — This exercise can help ease tension in the muscles on the side of your neck. Tilt your head to the left as far as you can without experiencing pain, and hold for five seconds. Return to center and repeat on the right side. Continue to alternate sides until you’ve done 15 to 20 repetitions per side.
- Head turn exercise — Turning your head can help limber up muscles in the front, back and sides of your neck. Start this exercise by sitting or standing with good posture. Then, slowly turn your head to the right as far as you can. Pause and then turn your head to the left. Hold it on each side for a few seconds and repeat eight times on each side.
- Forward and back head tilt exercise — This exercise targets the muscles in the front and back of your neck. Start by slowly tilting your chin toward your chest; then tilt your head as far back as you can. Hold for about four seconds in each position, and repeat the tilt about eight times in each direction.
- Head circles exercise — This exercise can stretch your neck muscles and boost neck range of motion. Start by sitting comfortably in a stable chair. Slowly rotate your head clockwise three to five times; then switch directions and rotate it counterclockwise. Swivel your head slowly in small circles at first. Repeat this exercise throughout the day as needed.
Need more than cervicogenic headache exercises? Panther PT can help
Our Panther Physical Therapists can show you how to do many helpful cervicogenic headache exercises. But that’s not all they can do for your headaches. They can do a free screening on you to uncover the root cause of your headaches. They can also build you a unique physical therapy plan intended to ease your symptoms and help prevent them from coming back.
Contact our team today to learn more about our headache treatment services or to set up a free screening.