Headaches caused by the cervical spine
Headaches can be triggered by the cervical spine. Well-known is the so-called tension headache, which can be triggered by tension of the short head and neck muscles, but also by muscles of the shoulder-neck area. Presumably, the tissue is less well supplied with blood due to the increased muscle tension.
The cause of the pain can therefore be the muscles directly at the back of the head, but sensitive nerves emerging there can also be irritated by the increased tension and trigger headaches. The major occipital nerve, which emerges from the second cervical vertebra and supplies the back of the head from behind to the middle of the skull, should be mentioned in particular. Headaches triggered by the cervical spine, one-sided postures, e.g. when working at the computer, jerky movements that can lead to muscular tension, incorrectly positioned vertebrae (blockages), degenerative changes and herniated discs, or stress-induced increased muscle tone are the most frequent causes of headaches.
Tension headaches can also occur in the morning if you have “misplaced” yourself at night. The pain can occur on one side or both sides and usually runs from the neck to the middle of the skull. Do you have headaches? –
Cervical problems through the jaw
Our temporomandibular joint is closely related to the cervical spine and is often also combined into a functional unit with the cervical spine. A distinction is made between ascending and descending symptoms starting from the temporomandibular joint. In an ascending chain of symptoms, a problem in the cervical spine, or below it, causes a problem in the temporomandibular joint, while in descending symptoms, the temporomandibular joint affects the cervical spine and the spinal sections below it.
Often it is difficult to find the cause of a complex of symptoms (head and neck pain, ringing in the ears, visual disturbances, see above). The temporomandibular joint should not be forgotten in the search for the cause. The position of the temporomandibular joint can be changed by grinding teeth or by clenching teeth (e.g. at night or under tension), which automatically affects the position of the upper head joints.
Increased muscle tone of the chewing muscles also affects the cervical spine. A broken or protruding tooth, a crown that is not exactly fitted or similar also leads to small but important changes in the biomechanics of the temporomandibular joint and can have a major impact on the cervical spine. Through precise diagnostics, e.g. impressions on the teeth or the cheeks, an examination of the temporomandibular joint and the surrounding musculature, the temporomandibular joint can be identified as the cause or participant in a cervical spine problem. The treatment is carried out after a dental examination by using splints and physiotherapeutically by treating the functional unit of cervical and jaw joint. In case of a stress-related malfunction of the jaw or cervical spine, relaxing or psychological treatments should also be considered.
