Headaches that are localized at the back of the head or pulling over the head from behind are often associated with the cervical spine. There are many different names for this type of headache such as neck headache, cervical spine syndrome or occipital headache. The diagnosis of cervical spine-induced headache is common, but it is a very imprecise term because the causes can be very different.
The pain can occur on one or both sides or change sides. The triggering factor is often a prolonged position in which the head has to be held, for example during office work. More often than not, headaches originating from the cervical spine occur when waking up in the morning.
Symptoms
Pulling headaches, which run along the line from the neck over the back of the head to the middle of the head, are typical of headaches originating from the cervical spine. But also stabbing pains at the level of the second cervical vertebra or directly at the back of the head are described. The aching or points are painful under pressure, a typical characteristic is the so-called tapping pain when tapping the cervical spine.
In contrast, slight movements or stretching of the neck or head provide relief. In most cases, neck headaches are aggravated when extreme positions of the head are taken, for example when the chin is placed on the chest or the head is turned extremely. Those affected often complain of tension and hardening in the shoulder and neck area, and pain radiating into the arms and fingers is also possible.
The tensions often lead to painful stiffness in movement. In combination with the headaches, dizziness, impaired vision and ringing in the ears can occur. Sometimes neurological symptoms such as tingling, numbness or paralysis are also observed.
Causes
Tension in the muscles of the neck and back seems to be a major cause of headaches coming from the cervical spine. However, tension in the temporomandibular joint, rear-end collisions with whiplash, certain sitting positions (e.g. in front of a monitor), tension in the cranial bones or the structures lying in the cranial fossa, or pelvic obliquities are also discussed as possible causes of neck headache. Other possible causes of pain are: For the cause muscle tension, tension in the area of the trapezius muscle plays a role.
The trapezius muscle is a muscle that runs from the thoracic spine over the neck to the back of the head. In its course, painful tensions, pressure painful points or paths are frequently found. Muscle tensions are the result of over-irritation of the muscle, which leads to cramping of the muscle fibers.
Due to this permanent tension of the muscle, the muscle area is no longer supplied with blood well. This results in a negative circulation, as the muscle would need good blood circulation to release the tension by itself. A nerve (nervus okzipitalis major) runs through the trapezius muscle at the back of the head, which comes from the second cervical vertebra.
This nerve is responsible for the sensitive perception of sensations such as pressure, touch, vibration, pain and temperature from both the hairy scalp in the back of the head (occipital region) and the meninges of the posterior fossa. Many theories explain the development of cervical spine headaches as a result of incorrect posture (e.g. due to the working position, incorrect training, overstretching of muscles) in conjunction with lack of exercise. Nevertheless, there are always people who complain of headaches originating in the cervical spine, where structural causes have been excluded and who move and stretch a lot (e.g. top athletes, craftsmen, yoga athletes).
So it seems to be to a certain extent individually different, how fast neck headaches occur in a person due to back tensions. Misalignment of the jaws, teeth grinding at night, wrong bite or grinding with the jaws during the day can also cause headaches due to tension in the jaw joint. There are close mechanical and nervous connections between the cervical spine and the temporomandibular joint, which could explain the connection.
Tensions in the temporomandibular joint that continue to the neck and cause headaches are often treated with bite splints to prevent crunching. Another cause can be whiplash injuries, for example in a rear-end collision.This leads to jerky forces in the area of the upper cervical spine, which can cause severe headaches. The reason for the complaints seems to be an irritation of the cervical vertebrae and the surrounding tissue due to the unnatural forces in whiplash injuries.
Asymmetries caused by a pelvic obliquity can be transmitted to the spinal column via the muscles (e.g. hip flexor, iliopsoas muscle), continue to the cervical spine and lead to headaches. A protrusion or herniated disc (prolapse) in the area of the cervical spine can also cause neck headaches under certain circumstances. In most cases, this is accompanied by pain radiating into the arms.
- Disc protrusions of the cervical spine
- Herniated discs of the cervical spine
- Wear (facet arthrosis)
- Blockages of the cervical spine or
- Inflammation of the small joints of the cervical spine
