Cervical headache
A cervicogenic headache (CGH) presents as unilateral pain that starts in the neck and is referred from bony structures or soft tissues of the neck. It is a common chronic and recurrent headache that usually starts after neck movement. It usually accompanies a reduced range of motion (ROM) of the neck.
Yasir Al Khalili; Nam Ly; Patrick B. Murphy.
Symptoms
- Pain originating at the back of the neck and radiating along the forehead, area around the eye, temple, and ear.
- Pain along the shoulder and arm on the same side.
- Reduced flexibility of the neck.
- Eye swelling and blurriness of vision may occur on the affected side in some cases.
Causes
- An injury to the atlanto-occipital joint (joint between the base of the skull and the first cervical vertebra)
- Injury to a component of the cervical spine, such as a vertebra, facet joint, or disc
- Cervical radiculopathy resulting from pinched nerve in the upper spinal region
- Injury to neck muscles
- Tumors in the cervical region
Treatment
- Cervical spine manipulation or mobilization
- Strengthening exercises including deep neck flexors and upper quarter muscles
- Thoracic spine thrust manipulation & exercise
- C1-C2 Self-sustained Natural Apophyseal Glide (SNAG) shown to be effective for reducing cervicogenic headache symptoms
With a six week physiotherapy program including manual therapy and exercise interventions was an effective treatment option for reduction of cervicogenic headache symptoms and decreasing medication intake in both the short term and at one-year follow-up.