• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
The Brain Health Magazine
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
The Brain Health Magazine
No Result
View All Result

3 Key Signs That Your Chronic Headache is Coming From Your Neck

Headache & Neck Pain

in Concussion, Headache
April 7, 2020
0
headache, migraine, neck pain, upper cervical, chiropractic, brain injury, concussion, whip lash,

by Jonathan Chung, DC

Persistent headache is the most common problem patients experience after suffering a concussion. A headache after a concussion usually resolves itself as the brain restores normal physiology within 10 days after the concussion occurs. When a headache persists beyond this window, there is a strong possibility that the pain generator is coming from somewhere in the neck.

Research has shown that whiplash injuries are extremely common in patients who suffer a concussion. The upper neck, in particular, has many muscles, ligaments, and nerve tissues that are susceptible to injury from a blow to the head. Injuries to these tissues often mimic the same symptoms as the concussion itself, especially when it comes to headaches. It’s also been shown that patients who suffer both a concussion and a neck injury tend to have worse outcomes and experience longer recovery times than patients who suffer a concussion but no injury to the neck. 

Despite these research findings, the neck is often overlooked when it comes to treating patients with persistent post-concussive symptoms. Many neck injuries can be treated effectively, with good outcomes, after proper examination of the cervical spine but too often it’s ignored.

The easiest and most common way to determine if a headache is related to the neck is if the patient also experiences simultaneous neck/shoulder pain with loss of range of motion. However, many headache patients get significant relief from neck treatments even without neck pain as a complaint. Some common features of patients with headache of cervical origin include:

  1. Occipital Nerve Pain Patterns — patients can experience a severe headache that feels like a migraine, but is actually triggered by a problem called occipital neuralgia. Occipital neuralgia is a disorder where there is irritation or damage to the nerves at the top of the neck. It’s characterized by a pattern of pain that stems from the back of the head and can radiate over the top of the head or behind the eyes.
  2. Neck Tenderness That Triggers Headache Pain — patients sometimes have tender neck joints but not realize it until someone touches a sore spot. While the sore spot may be in the neck, pressing on this point may trigger or exacerbate a headache instead of neck pain. Patients with this type of pattern often tend to feel worse when getting a deep tissue massage of the neck because the pain receptors in the head and neck share a common origin in the brainstem. This allows injury in the head and face to cause a neck pain pattern and vice versa.
  3. Weak Endurance of Neck Muscles — patients with cervicogenic headache have been shown to have reduced endurance of their deep neck flexor muscles. The deep muscles of the neck play an important role in maintaining normal neck movement and alignment patterns. This strength is frequently lost after a neck injury.Patients who have reduced endurance in these neck muscles tend to have a tight and tender sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) in addition to showing a postural pattern where the chin juts forward.

    You can test your neck endurance by lying down on your back and holding your head about an inch off the ground. You should be able to hold this position with the chin tucked and neck flexed for about 30-40 seconds, but patients with neck problems will struggle with this task.

Many more factors are important to consider in a post-traumatic headache patient. The patient should be evaluated by medical professional, a physical therapist with concussion specialty, or specific chiropractors with expertise in the cervical spine. Neck exercises, manual therapies, and specific upper cervical techniques can bring tremendous relief to patients, but a thorough exam must be performed to rule out ligament instability and other neurological conditions where exercises and certain techniques and therapies may be contraindicated for a head injury patient.

Jonathan Chung, DC, is the founder and upper cervical chiropractor at Keystone Chiropractic and Neuroplasticity in Wellington, Florida. Learn more about their cervical vestibular rehabilitation program at www.chiropractickeystone.com.

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare Via EmailPinterest
Next Post
headache, migraine, magnesium, concussion, brain injury, tbi, abi,

Magnesium to Prevent and Treat Headaches

SIGN UP

BLOG

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

Yoga: Seated Cobra Pose

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief Yoga is a powerful tool for neuroplasticity. Contrary to some beliefs, everyone can do yoga — you don’t need to be super flexible, be able to balance, or even be able to stand up. The beauty of yoga is every pose can be modified to accommodate anyone. An important aspect of […]

Read more
Resilience After a Brain Injury

Resilience After a Brain Injury

By Dr. Shane Steadman, DC, DACNB, DCBCN, CNS Recovery after a brain injury can be a long journey. Working hard and hoping to get back to baseline often can be frustrating, and for some, unattainable. With the many doctor visits, exercises, rehab appointments, medications, and supplements, goals can become lost. However, amid recovering from a […]

Read more
The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

The Resiliency of the Human Brain and Body

By James A. Heuer, PA As a personal injury attorney for over 45 years, I have witnessed many of my clients successfully recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Whether the TBI occurs from a car crash, a slip and fall, or blow to the head, the resiliency of the human body and brain is […]

Read more
Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

Resiliency: Is It Just Personal or Part of Brain Chemistry?

By Deborah Zelinsky, O.D. The term resiliency encompasses “the range of personal protective factors, environmental supports, and resources, as well as self-regulatory processes, engaged in response to adversity,” according to investigators writing about recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) for the publication Disability and Rehabilitation. Indeed, author Mike Norton  said it best when he wrote, […]

Read more
Stress Away Essential Oil

Stress Away Essential Oil

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief A complementary tool that can help you achieve a healthy lifestyle, essential oils are easy to use and smell great, with a variety of uses. All oils are not created equal. I personally only trust the Young Living brand because I know they maintain complete control over their product from seed […]

Read more
Resiliency and the Courtroom

Resiliency and the Courtroom

By Jeff Heller Resiliency is one of the greatest attributes anyone can have. From an early age, parents teach their children, “if you get knocked down, you get back up.” Coaches teach their players, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And one of the cornerstones of the underdog mentality is to “never […]

Read more
The Quality of Resilience

The Quality of Resilience

by Shauna Hahn Sometime in 2019, in the weekly “Healing and Recovery” therapy group I lead, we discussed the topic of the quality of “resilience.” When it came time for a patient to contribute, he said, “I don’t want to be resilient. I get tired of being resilient all the f**king time.” And I heard […]

Read more
Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

Peanut Butter Protein Fluff

By Amy Zellmer, Editor-in-chief What You Need: 1 cup (250g) full-fat Greek yogurt 2 tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter 2 tsp. stevia Favorite garnish (banana, granola, blueberries) Add the yogurt, nut butter and stevia into a small mixing bowl and whisk together using a hand mixer, until fluffy. Transfer the mix into a bowl […]

Read more
Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

Arizona Man Overcomes Three Traumatic Brain Injuries and Gives Back By Building Adaptive Recreation & Socialization Program for Survivors

By Ed Roth Randy Elston is finally living his best life, which may be an odd thing to say about a Marine Corps veteran with three traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Recently named as the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona’s new Adaptive Recreation & Activities Coordinator, Randy’s tours of duty in Iraq left him with a […]

Read more

INSTAGRAM

Follow Us!

    The Instagram Access Token is expired, Go to the Customizer > JNews : Social, Like & View > Instagram Feed Setting, to refresh it.

© Copyright 2019 | The Brain Health Magazine

  • Advertise With Us
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us

DISCLAIMER: THIS MAGAZINE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE - View PDF

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Directory
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used.