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Headaches

There are many different types of headaches. The following are two of the most common types of headaches, cervicogenic and tension:

  • Cervicogenic headaches typically occur when one or more joints, muscles, ligaments or nerves of the top 3 vertebra of the neck are dysfunctional. During certain neck movements or sustained postures, stretching or compression forces are placed on those tissues. If the forces are beyond what the tissues can withstand, this may cause damage to these structures. The damage can occur traumatically, due to a specific incident, or develop gradually over time. When this occurs, pain may be referred to the head causing a headache.
  • Tension headaches (or stress headaches) are described as a mild to moderate, constant, band-like pain, tightness or pressure around the forehead or back of the head and neck. Tension headaches can be caused by muscle tightness in the neck and scalp as a result of poor posture, stress, anxiety, fatigue or overexertion. However, the cause is not always muscular in nature and may be triggered by environmental or internal stressors.