• Common types of headache include tension, vascular, muscular, or neurogenic.

• Headaches can originate from the nerves, soft tissue, and joints in the cervical spine.

• Certain types of headaches will arise from the upper neck at the base of the skull, and
radiate from the occiput (rear) to the front of the head or temple(s).

• Trigger points in certain areas of the neck can cause headaches.
Trigger points are “knotty” areas or bands in muscle tissue, and can commonly be seen in “Myofascial Pain Syndrome.”

• Cervical facet- joint -mediated headaches are common after whiplash injuries. In this type of headache, a nerve surrounding the inflamed joint in the neck can cause severe pain. These types of headaches usually respond to physical therapy, traction, stretching, anti-inflammatory medications & muscle relaxants. Facet joints can also be injected when therapies have not helped. Typically a low dose of anesthetic and cortisone is injected into the joint(s) under fluoroscopy (x-ray). When followed by a well-designed physical therapy regimen, these injections can give excellent long-term
relief of neck pain and headache.


• There are other causes of neck pain, including: traumatic
injuries, degenerative conditions, tumors, infections and disc involvement.

• Degenerative diseases in the neck are usually due to aging
and the natural progression of the spine. Repetitive trauma can account for acceleration of these injuries. Patients often complain of neck pain, numbness and tingling down into the arms and hands, and a “cracking” or “popping” sound in their neck.








Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease