Hairdresser And Chiropractor Cautions
You can also hyperextend your neck while tipping your head back to have your hair washed at a salon sink. Even though there are only a dozen or so such cases described in the medical literature, there’s a name for this phenomenon: “beauty parlor stroke syndrome.” To play it safe, do as Dr. Rost does. “Ask your hairdresser for a neck extension, which is a little cushion that props up your head so you don’t feel any strain on your neck,” she advises.
Not surprisingly, whiplash sustained during a car accident can also cause a cervical artery dissection. And in rare cases, so can the quick, thrusting neck movements some chiropractors and other health care professionals use to treat neck pain, known as cervical manipulative therapy or “adjustment.” However, it’s not clear whether the neck therapy itself causes the tear, or whether the pain from an existing tear might prompt people to seek out such treatment.
When To Worry About Neck Pain With A Headache
Usually, theres nothing to worry but at times when you notice these conditions immediately consult your doctor.
- Having shoulder and neck pain with headache or pain that extends to the lower back.
- The presence of the condition for more than 2 weeks.
- When the condition is due to the result of an injury.
- Eye pain is a combination of headache and neck pain.
- Slurred speech and blur vision.
A Definition Of A Headache
When you start your fight against headaches, first get to know your enemy and learn what types of headaches can be enumerated.
A network of nerves which is located over your scalp is a common culprit of headaches. The muscles which can be found in your head, shoulders, or neck, and nerves that run through your face and mouth may be responsible for your headaches as well. Also, blood vessels which run along the surface and base of the brain may be the cause of a headache.
Tension headaches, migraines, and cluster headaches are three main types of headaches, which can happen to us. The most frequent type of a headache is a tension headache. It usually appears at the back of the neck and its usually a consequence of stiffened muscles and too much stress in everyday life.
Migraines are very troublesome types of headaches as apart from pain you can also experience other unpleasant symptoms, such as vomiting or sensitivity to light. Whats more, migraines often occur periodically and once they attack you, they dont want to go away for even a few days.
Cluster headaches are probably the worst as the pain you experience is severe and it can last for a few weeks or months. The pain usually appears on one side of the head, usually behind one eye, which may also be watery or reddish. A blocked nose might be an accompanying symptom as well.
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Reduce Your Intake Of Coffee
Do you love drinking coffee? Perhaps you would like to drink caffeinated beverages because you feel that you can work better with caffeine, but if you are experiencing more headaches, this may be due to drinking too much caffeine. Also, if you are already encountering a headache and you would take caffeine, this may worsen the condition that you are in.
Other Causes Of Headaches
In addition to these specific headache types, there are some general risk factors and considerations that can help you understand what may be causing your symptoms.
Illness and Injury: Common illnesses like colds, fevers, and viral infections are likely to lead to headaches that can manifest in the back of the head. If you have had a fall or car accident that led to a blow to the head, this can also be an explanation for a headache and should be checked.
Stress: Emotional stress and depression can cause headache pain. These situations can also cause behaviors that lead to headaches, like alcohol use, skipping meals, and changes in sleeping patterns.
Environment: Many headaches are triggered by surrounding sensory input. Secondhand tobacco smoke and strong smells like household chemicals or perfumes are common examples. Certain foods and allergens may also be a trigger for some people. Stress, pollution, noise, lighting, and weather changes are also known to induce headaches in those prone to them, especially migraine headaches.
Genetics: A tendency to suffer from headaches, particularly migraine headaches, can run in families. Most children and teens who have migraines have other family members who experience them.
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The Causes Of A Headache At The Base Of The Neck
In medical terms a headache at the base of your neck is called an occipital neuralgia. This type of a headache occurs when there is pressure on your occipital nerves or they are irritated by something.
This type of a headache usually appears as a consequence of neck injuries, stiff muscles in the neck, or tension in the neck. Other causes include some disorders of cervical disc and osteoarthritis. The most dangerous source of pain at the back of the neck is a tumor, luckily, it doesnt happen often.
The inflammation of blood vessels, diabetes, and gout are also among the causes of occipital neuralgia. Also, if you do dynamic sports or you experienced some accident, its possible that you strained some muscle, which is actually quite a common cause of pain at the back of the neck.
If the movement that led to the injury was really quick or sudden, you may have even torn or ruptured your muscle, which may also lead to inflammation and swelling.
The most common cause of headaches at the base of the neck, however, is actually a bad posture of your body. People who lead a sedentary lifestyle and dont do any sports regularly are more likely to develop a headache at the base of the neck. Whats more, even when we sit, we have a bad posture too, tending to lean our head forward.
What You Might Be Feeling
Headaches originating from or relating to neck dysfunction can be very successfully treated and prevented with physiotherapy.
These headaches may present as:
- Pain & tension in the neck
- Pain, ache & pressure in the forehead and back of the head
- Tension in the temple and jaw area
- Pain that is made worse with sustained and repeated postures and movement of the neck
- A headache with a feeling of light headedness or dizziness
- Pain usually on the same side of the head as neck pain
Cervical headaches are usually described as a constant, steady, dull ache. It can be to one side or both sides. It can be to one side or both sides. It can also feel like a pulling or gripping feeling, sometimes a tight band around the head. The headache usually is felt at the base of the skull and can be referred to the front of the head to the temple area or over and behind the eyes. The headaches usually come on over a period of time, gradually getting worse. The headaches may be present for days, weeks even months. Sometimes there may be a history of an acute trauma such as whip-lash injury or repetitive trauma associated with work or a sporting activity.
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When To See A Doctor
In some cases, the things that lead to your headache with neck pain need medical attention. Call your doctor if the pain:
- Is severe or sudden
- Involves personality or mood changes
- Is paired with a fever
- Comes with confusion or memory problems
- Also makes you feel sluggish
- Involves jaw pain, vision problems, and a sore scalp
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What About Young Children
Headaches with neck pain can affect children. Young children with headaches and neck pain need a comprehensive medical workup to evaluate the problem.
Treatment is similar to that of adults. However, do not give aspirin for pain or fever relief to children or teenagers as it might be linked to Reye’s syndrome, a life-threatening condition.
Certain brain tumors are more common among children, and hydrocephalus can persist after tumor removal. This often necessitates ventricular shunt placement to prevent the recurrence of hydrocephalus.
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What Is The Pain Like
This pain is known to be described as a dull heaviness, which starts at the base of the head, and spreads round like a band across the eyes. It can also move through your neck, to the back of your shoulders, and to the fibres of your upper trapezius. As such, these muscles may be very tender to touch or stretch.
Headache Neck Pain And Nauseahow To Ease Them
Headache, neck pain, and nausea may stem from a misalignment in the upper cervical spine. Our upper cervical spine is vital in supporting the weight of our head. Therefore, injuries in this area of the body can cause moderate to severe problems.
Upper cervical chiropractic care uses a gentle and non-invasive technique to access the root of your pain. Chiropractors will precisely reposition any misaligned parts of your upper cervical spine. This method can help release pressure between your spinal cord, nerves, head, and brainstem.
However, before chiropractors do the realignment, a proper diagnosis must be made first. If you think that an upper cervical misalignment causes your headache, neck pain and nausea, you must book a consultation with an upper cervical chiropractor. Go to our directory so you can find the nearest upper cervical chiropractor near you.
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Can Neck Pain Cause A Headache On One Side
Along with causing headache neck pain at times can be observed on only one side of the neck like right side neck pain or left side neck pain with a headache. This kind of pain on the particular side may be the offshoot of many underlying conditions like injuries, blood vessel problems, and inflammatory diseases. Tension headaches and migraines can also lead to pain on one side of the head.
Pinched Cervical Nerve And Herniated Disc In Your Upper Neck
One reason for shooting neck pain at the base of your skull is a pinched nerve in your upper spine. A herniated disc between the vertebrae in your neck can cause extreme pain in the base of your skull and back of your neck if the herniated disc presses on a nerve root.
A pinched nerve in your cervical spine is called cervical radiculopathy. Researchers from the University of Maryland report that spinal nerves in the neck travel along the shoulders and down your arms. If a disc bulges or ruptures it can push on the root of the nerve, causing it to become pinched. The result can be severe shooting neck pains and intense cervical headaches.10
The European Spine Journal also mentions that discs can rupture or bulge in your cervical spine, and the most common symptom is shooting pains in your neck and arms, as well as cervicogenic headaches at the base of your skull. The reason for the intense neck pain is because the disc puts pressure on the nerve root.
Other painful symptoms of a pinched cervical nerve can include any of the following:10, 11
- Inability to raise your arms above your head without pain
- Tingling and numbness in one or both shoulders and arm pain
- Recurring headaches that only affect one side of the head
- Pain that radiates out from the back of your head and neck
- Throbbing aches at the back of your head
- Muscle spasms in the back of your neck
- Tenderness in the base of your skull
Very often, exercises can help to release a pinched nerve in your upper back.
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What Happens At Your Gp Appointment
If you have regular tension headaches, a GP may suggest you keep a headache diary to record details of your headaches like:
- how often you get them and how long they last
- how painful they are and any other symptoms you have
- possible causes
- any medicines you take to help
The GP may advise you about taking painkillers for tension headaches, such as when to take medicine and how often you should take it.
You may be referred to a specialist if painkillers and activities like exercise do not help reduce your headaches or if it’s not clear what’s causing them.
Neck Massage For Headache Pain Relief
One way to get rid of knots in the neck at the base of your skull is to give your neck a gentle massage. Massaging the back of your head, neck, and shoulders is a great way to ease the pain of a pinched cervical nerve.
According to Dr. William H. Blahd on WebMD, massage helps to release tension in your neck and shoulders to ease upper neck and lower head pain. Massaging also helps to increase blood flow to the painful area to get rid of pain quickly.17
How to massage the back of your neck with essential oils:
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Other Symptoms Of Cervicogenic Headache
CGH may be intermittent or occur as a continuous headache. In addition to neck pain, other common symptoms of CGH may include:
- Headache. The neck pain radiates to the back of the head along the scalp and spreads over to the top of the head. The headache is felt as a dull, non-throbbing pain of mild to moderate intensity.
- Pain radiating to other areas. The pain may extend over to the forehead, temple, and area around the eye, and/or ear.
- Shoulder and arm pain. Pain in the shoulder and/or arm of the affected side is also common.
- Side-locked pain. The pain always affects one side of the head and neck.
- Blurred vision. The eye of the affected side may have blurred vision in some cases.
Many other CGH symptoms are possible but less common, such as nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, and dizziness. CGH may start as an intermittent headache and progress over time to become a continuous chronic headache. The severity and duration of CGH headache varies with each episode/exacerbation, ranging from mild to severe.
Medication And Painkiller Headaches
Some headaches are a side effect of taking a particular medication. Frequent headaches can also be caused by taking too many painkillers. This is known as a painkiller or medication-overuse headache.
A medication-overuse headache will usually get better within a few weeks once you stop taking the painkillers that are causing it. But, pain may get worse for a few days before it starts to improve.
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Other Reasons For Having A Headache In The Back Of Head And Neck
There can be some other reasons why pain in the base of your skull causes headaches.
Bad pillow or mattress. If you frequently wake up in the morning with a headache at the back of your neck, then it could be caused by a bad pillow or mattress. The journal Advances in Physiotherapy reported that choosing the right pillow can reduce the frequency of neck pain and headaches.15
Herpes simplex virus. Back of the neck pain and headaches can be the first sign of the herpes simplex virus 2 . The journal Archives of Neurology reports that HSV-2 and neck pain are often connected. Recurring headaches and a stiff neck along with a fever usually appear before other symptoms of genital herpes.16
Stiff Neck And Headache: Causes And Treatment
Complaining a stiff neck neednt mean you have a complicated medical issue. Of course, this is a possibility but it is not the norm. In fact, studies show that stiff neck and headaches are a common issue across the world.
In most cases, you can treat a stiff neck at home. However, it is important to be aware of the causes and potential treatment options. This will help you to decide when to treat it yourself and when to visit the doctor or .
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Causes Of Neck Pain With Headache
As cervicogenic headaches shoot from troubles in the neck, varied conditions may trigger this kind of pain. These conditions consist of degenerative health problems such as osteoarthritis, a whiplash injury, or a troubled disc in the neck. Some kinds of sports and a fall can even lead to injuries of the neck and lead to such headaches.
Neck pain with headaches may even happen based on the position of how you stand or sit. A driver, hairstylist, carpenter, or someone who is seated at a table may unintentionally push the chin frontward which also moves the head out in front of the body and this forward movement is termed as cervical protraction. Standing or sitting in this stature for long durations can pressurize or lead to stress on the neck and skulls base leading to a headache with neck pain.
Sleeping in a discomfited posture like with your head too far away to the back or front and off to one particular side can even trigger these kinds of headaches. It can also happen when one sleeps in a chair or sits in bed.
A pinched or compressed nerve near or in the neck is also one cause of this type of headache.
Pain In Base Of Skull: What Headache At Base Of Skull Means
Jenny Hills, Nutritionist and Medical Writer Health
Pain or headaches at the base of your skull are often the result of tight muscles in the back of your neck due to tension, stress, or fatigue. Pain in back of head at the base of skull can also be caused by a herniated cervical disc or injury to your upper neck. Sometimes, the headaches that start at the base of the skull can be tension headaches, cluster headaches, or cervicogenic headaches.
Pain in the back of your head at the base of your skull can cause your head to hurt with dull, nagging persistent pains. If you have a trapped nerve in your cervical spine, you may experience sharp jabbing pains that radiate to your temples or behind your eye. Headaches at the back of your neck can also cause pain that travels down your spine. Neck pain at the base of your skull may also result in shoulder pain, back pain, or tingling in your arms.
In most cases, the neck pain and headaches at the back of your head go away when you get proper rest or apply home remedies. For example, applying a heat or cold pack, getting a neck or shoulder massage, or using essential oils can help to relieve a stiff neck that causes headaches.
In this article, you will find out what it means if you have a headache in the back of your head and neck. You will also find helpful ways to alleviate the pressure and tension at the base of your skull. In some cases, if the pain doesnt go away, you should see a doctor.
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