Neck
Cervicogenic headache
Arising from the upper neck joints and referred into the head. This is the type chiropractic care addresses most directly.
Great Totham · Maldon · Essex CM9 8DG
Call 01621 731671
ELARIS CHIROPRACTIC& WELLBEING CENTRE
Headaches & migraines · Great Totham, near Maldon & Tiptree
When the headache is actually coming from your neck.
A large proportion of the headaches we see are cervicogenic — they start in the joints and muscles at the top of the neck and are felt in the head. People have often had them for years, managed with painkillers, without anyone examining their neck.
That is the first thing we do. If your upper neck reproduces your headache pattern under examination, we have somewhere to work. If it does not, we will say so rather than treat you anyway.
Signs it may be neck-related
- Starts at the base of the skull, spreads forward
- Usually the same side each time
- Comes with neck stiffness or restricted turning
- Provoked by desk work, driving or sleeping awkwardly
- Builds through the day rather than arriving suddenly
A sudden severe headache unlike any before, or one with fever, weakness, confusion or visual loss, needs urgent medical attention.
Why it happens
Four patterns we separate.
Not every headache is a neck problem, and pretending otherwise wastes your time. Knowing which type you have determines whether we are the right people to help.
Muscle
Tension-type headache
A band-like pressure from sustained muscle guarding across the skull, jaw and shoulders.
Neurological
Migraine
A neurological condition in its own right. Upper neck dysfunction can contribute to attacks, and that part we can treat.
Medication
Medication-overuse headache
Frequent painkiller use perpetuating the very headaches it treats. Worth recognising, and worth raising with your GP.
How we treat it
The Elaris Method™, applied to the head and neck.
-
01
Assess
Your headache history and pattern, then examination of the upper neck to see whether it reproduces your symptoms.
-
02
Adjust
Restoring movement in the upper cervical segments that refer pain into the head, with technique matched to you.
-
03
Reset
Reducing the muscular guarding and sensitisation that keep a headache pattern established for years.
-
04
Sustain
Identifying your triggers — screen height, sleep position, jaw clenching, hydration — and dealing with them.
In their words
★★★★★
“After suffering a lot of excruciating neck and shoulder pain I attended the clinic and had my treatment. I’m so grateful that I can now do everything I want again.”
★★★★★
“Absolutely brilliant treatment which is so helpful in sorting out my anxiety and painful body. I cannot recommend them more highly.”
Reviews left by patients on Google. Read all fourteen. Individual results vary.
Questions
Headaches, answered.
Can a chiropractor help headaches?+
Where a headache arises from the joints and muscles of the upper neck — a cervicogenic headache — addressing that neck dysfunction is treating the source. Headaches with other causes need different care, and the assessment is what tells the difference.
How do I know if mine is coming from my neck?+
Typical signs: pain starting at the base of the skull and spreading forward, usually one-sided, with neck stiffness, provoked by sustained postures or turning the head. We confirm it by examining the upper neck and reproducing your pattern.
Can you treat migraines?+
Migraine is a neurological condition, not a neck problem, so we do not claim to cure it. What we can assess is whether upper neck dysfunction is contributing to your attacks — as it does for many people — and treat that component.
I take painkillers most weeks. Is that a problem?+
Frequent painkiller use can itself perpetuate headaches — medication-overuse headache. It is worth discussing with your GP as well, and it is one of the things we ask about because it changes the picture.
If nobody has examined your neck, your headache has not been fully assessed.
Book your appointment