Hello, my name is Kyle Wagner and I am a Clinical Manager and physical therapist here at In Motion Physical therapy.

I’d like to discuss the presence of a specific subset of headaches known as “cervicogenic headaches”.

Cervicogenic pain is caused by tightness or impairments to the variety of structures in the neck, including many different muscles, ligaments, joints.

Cervicogenic headaches are somewhat common, affecting perhaps 4% of people, and are different from tension type headaches or migraines in that:

  • Cervicogenic headaches tend to be on one side, rather than on both sides
  • Duration can vary from 1 hour to many weeks
  • Seems to get worse with neck movements OR after holding prolonged postures such as sitting
  • Headache pain may be accompanied by neck pain

Fortunately, cervicogenic symptoms appear to respond well to physical therapy interventions such as exercise for the neck, upper back, and shoulders as well as a variety of different manual therapy techniques performed by a licensed physical therapist. These techniques and exercises are a part of our everyday caseload here at In Motion and we would be happy to help treat your individual symptoms. If you’d like to schedule an appointment, please give us a call today at 610-518-9100.