Cervicogenic headaches are headaches that are caused by your neck. That’s right, neck pain can literally cause a headache! A headache of this type follows or is made worse with specific neck movements and sustained postures. It typically starts the the base of your skull at the back of your head and can travel (radiate) to your forehead, eye region (behind your eyes), temples and even ears!

Demographics:
- It is estimated that at any one point in time, about 18% of adults are experiencing a cervicogenic headache
- It is more common for females to experience headaches caused by neck pain compared to males

Risk Factors/Potential Causes:
- Previous neck injury or neck pain
- Repetitive neck and shoulder movements 
- Prolonged neck postures (such as painting the ceiling, washing the floors, scrolling on your phone or tablet, having your laptop/computer screen placed off-centre, etc)
- Pain referred from your upper neck anatomy (Spoiler: There's a lot going on at the base of your skull including muscles, ligaments, joints and joint capsules, vertebral discs, etc)

Pain inside your head comes in all shapes, sizes, distributions, intensities, etc.! Something misleading I've commonly heard is a more mild head pain being described as a "headache" while a more intense head pain being described as a "migraine". And while migraines typically are very intense and uncomfortable, a headache can be just as intense (some times more intense!) and uncomfortable as a migraine, depending on what kind of headache you're experiencing. 

Above is a simple and general diagram found on Google that does a nice job at describing a few types of different headaches. And yes, a migraine is a TYPE of headache and not a description of how intense a headache may be. Each headache has a unique distribution across your head; some are on both sides, some are on one side and involve different areas of your head and face. Each headache varies in intensity and, more importantly, varies in treatment approach. Not all headaches are created equal or can be treated the same as another type of headache.

Over the next couple of weeks, I would like to dive into various types of headaches and hopefully provide some useful information regarding key points of each type. Here at Nurture Family Chiropractic, we work with a variety of different types of headaches via muscle work, joint work, exercise and co-management with your other health professionals. A well-rounded approach is important when managing headaches. If there is a specific type of headache you're interested in learning about please leave a comment below letting us know! 

Woohoo!! We would like to give a huge congratulations to Katrina Zantinge, our amazing massage therapist, for joining our health team at Nurture Family Chiropractic FULL TIME!! Katrina has been with us for a total of 3 years (1 year with Nurture Family Chiropractic and 2 years with previously Clear Path Chiropractic). We have been blessed with Katrina's beautiful and friendly personality, excellent treatment skills and sharp clinical knowledge thus far and look forward to seeing her at the clinic full time. Her new hours take place MONDAYS THROUGH FRIDAYS and can be found on our online booking. Congratulations again, Katrina! We are lucky to have you as a part of our Guelph health team!

Sport injuries, every day repetitive movements and prolonged office work or commuting can lead to tightness and stiffness in your body. If you are experiencing muscle tightness, aches or pains, massage therapy can be beneficial to you and help to ease your discomfort. Book today to see how massage therapy can make a difference in your every day comfort!

Woohoo! Happy long Labour Day weekend! Nurture Family Chiropractic in Guelph, ON will be closed for the long weekend. We will be reopening Tuesday September 8th at noon which is also the first day of the 2020-2021 school year, yay! Unless of course you're in the second half of the staggered return to school schedule or exploring a different education option. In all scenarios, we send our best wishes for a smooth start back to school, whatever that may look like.