Blog

Headache Relief

Headaches have the potential to seriously put a damper on your day or week.  Many times people get headaches from stress, lack of sleep, skipping coffee in the morning or because the kids just won’t stop yelling. Others have chronic headaches, which can really mess with your lifestyle. That is what we are going to deal with today:  chronic headaches and headache relief.

First, let’s start with the three types of headaches that are typically classified as chronic; these are migraine headaches, tension headaches, and/or cervicogenic headaches.  Don’t be put off with the big word; all cervicogenic  means is that it comes from your neck.   All three of these have different symptoms. Typically, if you suffer from chronic headaches, it is likely that you have been treated previously and may have been diagnosed with one of these three types of headaches. Often times, headaches present with characteristics that are consistent with ALL three of the types mentioned.

Common neck trigger points that refer pain to the head

If you’ve been diagnosed with migraine or tension type headaches, this self-treatment technique may not be effective for you, but don’t tune out yet!  It is possible that you may also have cervicogenic headaches that have not been properly diagnosed.

Cervicogenic headaches are the result of upper neck joint or muscle dysfunction that manifests as a headache.  The nerves that provide feeling and sensation to the facet joints and muscles of your upper neck travel to the spinal cord and converge with the trigeminal nerve.  The trigeminal nerve gives feeling and sensation to the head and face.

In short, dysfunction of the upper neck is felt as a headache.

Characteristics of cervicogenic headaches include:

Associated signs and symptoms may be similar to a migraine and may include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, and dizziness. A simple way to apply this information is to note if you have headaches that are generally felt more on one side of your head, neck pain and stiffness, tenderness below your skull and/or along the upper neck, and headaches that are triggered by neck movements or specific neck postures.  If so, you may have cervicogenic headaches.

Here is the good news:   If you do indeed have headaches that are coming from your neck, this is a very simple yet very effective self-treatment technique that has the potential to GREATLY reduce headache severity and intensity.   If completed twice daily over the course of one month, this technique WILL be effective. If, after a month of this treatment, there is no improvement to your headaches, it is likely that your headaches are not related to your neck.

To complete the exercise correctly you first need to determine if neck rotation is limited to one side, which is often the case if a headache is related to the neck.  In sitting or standing, rotate your head to the right and note how far it goes. Now, rotate your head to the left and note how far it goes in that direction.  Often times an individual can determine what direction is limited and it is usually limited to the side that headaches are most frequently felt on.  If headaches are felt on the right side, right neck rotation is usually limited on that side and vice versa.  Also, when you rotate your neck to the side that is limited and the side headaches are felt on, it may be uncomfortable or even painful.  If neither side is limited, there is another technique that can be useful. Today we will focus on the rotation technique.   The alternate technique will be covered in a future post.

Now that you’ve figured out which direction your neck is limited in, it’s time for the self- treatment. First, find a hand towel – not a wash cloth or a regular-sized bath towel but a hand towel.  You can also use a pillow case.  Fold the towel in half, length-ways, so that it is a long rectangle.  Do NOT fold it into a square.  Once folded, the towel should be able to wrap around your neck with the folded edge of the towel directly below the skull.  The ends of the towel should be level with the bottom of the ear lobe and the top of the teeth. I am going to walk you through this technique as if your headaches are felt primarily on the right and your neck rotation to the right is limited, uncomfortable or painful.  If your headache is on the left and your left rotation is limited, simply do the opposite of what is described for the right side.

For right side headaches and right rotation restriction, hold the left end of the towel with your right hand and the right end of the towel with your left hand.  Your hands should be crossed and your right hand should be on top of your left hand.  Apply gentle pressure on the left side of your neck by pulling directly forward with your right hand while rotating your head to the right. Be sure you keep the gentle pressure with your right hand.  Essentially your right hand pulls on the left side of your neck which will pull your neck into right rotation.  When you turn to the right, turn as far as you can without pain, stop and hold this position for three seconds.  After a three second hold, return your head to a normal position so it’s facing directly forward.  Note that there should be NO pain when rotating your head with this technique.  NO pain is key! If there is pain, adjust the towel and the pull until you’re able to rotate without pain.   Be certain that you do NOT jerk on the towel;  we are looking for a gentle pull and gentle pressure. It is normal to have a stretching feeling, but this is different from pain.  Once you find a comfortable position of the towel and are able to do this with NO pain, complete two turns to the right with three second holds at end-range (if your headaches are on the left, you will make two turns to the left.)  Do this twice per day for one month.

That’s it!   It is that simple and that quick!  This will literally take you two minutes per day.  As I stated before, if your headaches are neck-related, you will notice a decrease in frequency and severity of your headache symptoms.  Remember that when you rotate your head there should be NO pain; if there is pain, you need to adjust the technique.  If you are unable to complete the technique without pain, do NOT do it at all.