Headache Pain: Cervicogenic

Overview

If the headache is related to a problem in your neck, there’s a good chance it’s a cervicogenic headache (CH).

Symptoms

One sign of CH is pain that comes from a sudden movement of your neck. Another is that you get head pain when your neck remains in the same position for some time.

Other signs may include:

• Painon one side of your head or face
• Steady pain that doesn’t throb
• Head pain when you cough, sneeze or take a deep breath
• An attack of pain that can last for hours or days
• Stiff neck — you can’t move your neck normally
• Pain that stays in one spot, like the back, front, or side of your head or your eye

Causes

Many things can cause a cervicogenic headache, and sometimes there’s no way to figure out exactly what it was.

CH can come from problems with the bones in your neck (vertebrae), joints, or neck muscles that happen over time. For example, people in certain jobs, like hair stylists, carpenters, and truck drivers, can get CH from the way they hold their heads when they work.

Sometimes CH happens in people who hold their heads out in front of their bodies. That’s called “forward head motion,” and it puts extra weight on your neck and upper back.