A cervicogenic headache is a syndrome characterised by a chronic headache that is referred to the head from either bony structures or soft tissues around the neck.
Clinically, they are sometimes hard to differentiate from migraines or a tension headache.
Common symptoms are:
Neck pain and neck muscle tenderness.
Pain is likely referred from the neck from one or more muscle, nerve tissue, joint, joints, or small blood vessel in muscles.
Neck pain and muscle tension are common symptoms of a migraine attack.
Increased curvature of the cervical spine alters stresses and strain in the cervical/neck muscles. This could also be a secondary effect of an increased curvature of the thoracic spine. A lifestyle assessment and behavioural influences on poor posture are moreover a real consideration.
Health practitioners can use posture observation, active and passive movements and palpation of head, neck and thoracic spine and their adjacent structures to diagnose the possibility of cervicogenic headaches.