Cervicogenic Headaches

Do you ever find that your neck starts to hurt and then you get a headache? Or when you have a headache is it made worse when you turn or move your head? If you’ve answered yes, there is a chance that your headaches are coming from your neck, so you should book an appointment with one of our physios to see what they can do for you.

What is a cervicogenic headache?

Cervicogenic headaches are headaches that are caused by disorders involving various structures in the neck such as the facet joints, muscles, discs or nerves. These headaches are usually accompanied by neck pain and limited neck movements.

A cervicogenic headache normally presents as one-sided pain that starts in the neck and radiates into a headache. The pain typically travels from the back of the head to the front and is worsened by sustained head and neck positions.

How can you tell the difference between a cervicogenic headache and a migraine?

There are a couple of differences that can help you determine whether you are experiencing a cervicogenic headache or a migraine. These include the pain location, effect on the neck, other symptoms and the response to treatment.

	Cervicogenic headache	Migraine
Pain location	Starts at the neck and moves into the head, often one-sided	Can be felt on one or both sides of the head
Neck involvement	Neck stiffness, reduced movement, pain made worse with neck movements or pressure	Neck pain is less common
Other symptoms	Pain extends into shoulders, upper back and arms	Nausea, sensitivity to light and sound Pain throbbing in nature Blurred vision Dizziness
Response to treatment	Responsive to physiotherapy treatment	Often requires medication rather than physiotherapy

What an appointment will look like at Our Physio Central Coast

Our Physio can provide the guidance you need to recover from your cervicogenic headache to have you living healthy and happy.

·         Assessment and diagnosis

·         Education and advice

·         Structured hands on treatment and exercise therapy to facilitate rehabilitation

·         Home exercise prescription

·         Return to pre-injury activity

What can Physiotherapists do for you?

Treatment for cervicogenic headaches depends on what the root cause is. Once a thorough assessment is carried out by one of our physios treatment will be tailored to address the causes of the pain.

Some treatments that the physiotherapist may use include soft tissue massage, manual therapy (e.g. joint mobilisations), exercise therapy to improve cervical and thoracic range of movement, muscle strength, coordination and endurance, muscle stretches, cervical traction, thoracic spine exercises, relaxation techniques and education regarding posture and work ergonomics.

Exercises you can do at home

• Deep Neck Flexion

• Diaphragmatic breathing

• Shrugs

Note:

Assessment and diagnosis for each individuals injury should always be conducted prior to developing a treatment plan with exercise prescription and appropriate progressions. Should you have any further questions or would like to discuss your headaches with a physiotherapist, please contact Our Physio Central Coast (02) 4339 4475 or book online here:

Book an Appointment

References:

1.      Al Khalili Y, Ly N, Murphy PB. Cervicogenic Headache. [Updated 2022 Oct 3]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507862/

2.      Bini, P., Hohenschurz-Schmidt, D., Masullo, V., Pitt, D., & Draper-Rodi, J. (2022). The effectiveness of manual and exercise therapy on headache intensity and frequency among patients with cervicogenic headache: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 30(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-022-00459-9

3.      Demont A, Lafrance S, Gaska C, Kechichian A, Bourmaud A, Desmeules F. Efficacy of physiotherapy interventions for the management of adults with cervicogenic headache: A systematic review and meta-analyses. PM&R. 2023; 15(5): 613-628. doi:10.1002/pmrj.12856

4.      Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS) The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition. (2018). Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache, 38(1), 1–211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0333102417738202

5.      Jull, G., Trott, P., Potter, H., Zito, G., Niere, K., Shirley, D., Emberson, J., Marschner, I., & Richardson, C. (2002). A randomized controlled trial of exercise and manipulative therapy for cervicogenic headache. Spine, 27(17), 1835–1843. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-200209010-00004

6.      Jung, A., Carvalho, G. F., Szikszay, T. M., Pawlowsky, V., Gabler, T., & Luedtke, K. (2023). Physical Therapist Interventions to Reduce Headache Intensity, Frequency, and Duration in Patients With Cervicogenic Headache: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Physical Therapy, 104(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzad154

7.      Page P. (2011). Cervicogenic headaches: an evidence-led approach to clinical management. International journal of sports physical therapy, 6(3), 254–266.

8.      Varatharajan, S., Ferguson, B., Chrobak, K., Shergill, Y., Côté, P., Wong, J. J., Yu, H., Shearer, H. M., Southerst, D., Sutton, D., Randhawa, K., Jacobs, C., Abdulla, S., Woitzik, E., Marchand, A.-A., van der Velde, G., Carroll, L. J., Nordin, M., Ammendolia, C.,…Taylor-Vaisey, A. (2016). Are non-invasive interventions effective for the management of headaches associated with neck pain? An update of the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. European Spine Journal, 25(7), 1971-1999. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-016-4376-9