What are Cervicogenic Headaches?
Cervicogenic headaches stem from muscular imbalance and strain around the cervical (neck) spine. This can lead to pain and pressure around the top portion of the head.
How Does This Happen?
Poor posture and muscular imbalances between the neck and shoulder are the main culprits. The cervical spine is responsible for the rotation and tilting movements of the head on top of our shoulders. This makes spinal alignment important for proper weight distribution, which influences the positioning of the rib cage and the shoulder. If the neck is misaligned, it can force the head into a forward tilt and put excess pressure on the head, eyes, and the temple. Put simply, the head is a relatively dense object that needs to be balanced on top of the rest of the body. But, when the rib cage, shoulders, and spine are out of alignment, it forces the head to be off-center.
Signs of Cervicogenic Headaches
- Pain and stiffness around the neck
- Pain around the eyes and the side of the face
- Difficulty was rotating and tilting the neck
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Eyestrain
How Do You Fix Cervicogenic Headaches?
To address cervicogenic headaches, it is important to focus on fixing the muscular imbalances restoring stability in the spine. We would recommend the following exercises:
- Release – scalene and suboccipital – 60 sec each
- Activate – Diaphragmic breathing – cat/cow 2 x 2min
- Integrate – cobra with db 2 x 20
- Strengthen – neck crunches 2×20