Is my headache caused by poor posture?

Headaches can be very uncomfortable and cause disruption through your daily life, in which the only known solution is painkillers. However, what if I told you that actually our headache is not, you’re your brain and needing painkillers, but is actually rooted from your neck muscles and the base of your skull.

This is known as a cervicogenic headache, a form of chronic headache that is usually mistaken for a migraine headache, the primary difference is the root cause. Cervicogenic headaches are different because they are caused my problems with the nerves, bones or muscles in your neck, in which although your feeling pain in your head it hasn’t started there and is actually referred pain from another location within your body.

So, what causes cervicogenic headaches? These types of headaches usually occur due to your posture while sitting or standing during your daily activities. Most at risk occupations include drivers, hairdressers or individuals that sit on computer’s all day. During the bad posture you may unknowingly push your chin forwards, which over long periods of time can create pressure or stress on the neck structures resulting in this condition. In addition, falling asleep in a position where your neck is misaligned with the rest of your spine may compress or pinch a nerve around the area also causing these conditions to occur.

Associated risk factors and symptoms include; unilateral headache, poor posture, tenderness in the neck, pain on movement and high levels of tightness in the neck area.

So how can CT clinic help? At CT clinic we can provide very specific treatments to the neck muscles to relive the tightness that is proving the root cause of this condition. In addition, we will coach you on effective posture maintenance through daily activities and also coach you through neck stretches to ensure your condition improves.