We’ve all had a headache at some point. Sometimes it’s after a stressful day at work. Sometimes it appears after staring at a screen for far too long. And sometimes you wake up with one and spend the entire day wondering what you did to deserve it.
While most headaches are not serious, they can have a huge impact on your quality of life. They can affect work, sleep, exercise, concentration, and even your mood.
What many people don’t realise is that some headaches can actually be linked to your neck, posture, muscles, and joints. This is where physiotherapy can often help. At PhT Therapy, we regularly see patients who have been living with headaches for months or even years without realising their neck may be playing a role.
The word “headache” covers a huge range of conditions.
Some of the more common types include:
Each type behaves differently, which is why getting the right diagnosis is important.
A headache isn’t always just a headache.
Headaches can develop for many different reasons.
Common triggers include:
One type of headache that physiotherapists often treat is called a cervicogenic headache.
The name sounds complicated, but it simply means a headache that originates from structures in the neck.
When joints, muscles, or nerves in the upper neck become irritated, they can refer pain into the head.
People with cervicogenic headaches often describe:
Your upper neck and head are closely connected.
When the neck becomes stiff or overloaded, the muscles around the skull often become tight and sensitive too. Over time, this can create a cycle of tension, discomfort, and recurring headaches.
This is particularly common in people who spend long hours:
Research has shown that people with cervicogenic headaches often present with reduced neck mobility, weakness in the deep neck muscles, and increased sensitivity around the upper cervical spine.
Studies have also found that physiotherapy treatments such as manual therapy, mobilisation techniques, and targeted exercise programmes can help reduce headache frequency and intensity in many patients.
The key is identifying whether the neck is actually contributing to the headache in the first place. That’s where a thorough assessment becomes important.
At PhT Therapy, we look beyond the headache itself.
Our assessment aims to identify whether the neck, jaw, posture, muscle tension, or movement patterns may be contributing to your symptoms.
Depending on what we find, treatment may include:
Contrary to popular belief, physiotherapy isn’t about cracking every joint in sight and hoping for the best.
At PhT, treatment is tailored to the individual. Not every headache comes from the neck, and not every patient needs the same treatment approach.
We also don’t hand out a generic exercise sheet and send you on your way.
Headaches can be complex. Good treatment starts with understanding what’s driving them in the first place.
And while Google may offer 47 different stretches promising instant relief, lasting improvement usually requires a bit more detective work than that.
If headaches are becoming more frequent, affecting your work, disturbing your sleep, or repeatedly returning, it’s worth getting them assessed.
Particularly if they’re accompanied by:
Headaches can be frustrating, exhausting, and incredibly disruptive to everyday life. While many people automatically focus on the head itself, the neck, muscles, joints, and posture often play a bigger role than expected.
If headaches have become a regular part of your week, it may be time to stop guessing and start investigating.
At PhT Therapy, we help patients understand what’s contributing to their headaches and create a personalised treatment plan aimed at getting them back to feeling like themselves again.
