Can neck treatment really stop headaches?

For cervicogenic headache, yes, and the research supports it. The test is whether we can reproduce and then ease your usual headache by treating specific neck segments. If we cannot, the headache is likely coming from somewhere else and we will say so.

Is my posture the problem?

Less than you have been told. There is no single correct posture, and people with very upright posture get neck pain too. What matters more is how long you hold any one position and how much capacity the neck has, both of which we can change.

Neck pain and headache physical therapy in Las Vegas

When your headaches
start in your neck.

If your headaches start at the base of the skull, build through the day, and sit on one side, there is a good chance your neck is driving them. That kind of headache responds to treating the neck, which is not what most people have been told to try.

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A physical therapist listening to a patient during an evaluation in a consultation room

The neck and headache connection

The top three segments of the neck share nerve pathways with the head and face. When those joints and the muscles around them get irritated, the brain reads some of it as head pain. It is called a cervicogenic headache, and it is common in people who work at a desk or train overhead.

Headache that starts in the neck or base of the skull
Pain on one side that does not swap sides
Worse after long screen sessions or driving
Neck stiffness and reduced turning range on the painful side
Tenderness where the skull meets the neck

What we treat, and what we do not

Cervicogenic headache and tension-type headache respond well to neck treatment. Migraine does not, although neck treatment can reduce how often a migraine gets triggered. Part of the first visit is working out which one you have, because it changes whether we are the right people to help.

A physical therapist smiling as she talks with a patient in a consultation room

What the first visit involves

We test the top of the neck segment by segment, assess how long you can hold a working posture before symptoms start, and check shoulder and mid-back contribution. Treatment pairs hands-on work with specific endurance work, because the hands-on part alone does not hold.

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Frequently asked questions

Can neck treatment really stop headaches?
For cervicogenic headache, yes, and the research supports it. The test is whether we can reproduce and then ease your usual headache by treating specific neck segments. If we cannot, the headache is likely coming from somewhere else and we will say so.
Is my posture the problem?
Less than you have been told. There is no single correct posture, and people with very upright posture get neck pain too. What matters more is how long you hold any one position and how much capacity the neck has, both of which we can change.

More in one-on-one physical therapy: back pain physical therapy, manual therapy, dry needling, and orthopedic physical therapy.

Neck pain and headache physical therapy for patients from Las Vegas, Spring Valley, North Las Vegas, Summerlin South, Summerlin and Summerlin West, at our clinic at 7381 Prairie Falcon Rd, Ste 110, Las Vegas.

Book a free 15-minute call