Headaches, explained
Headaches
Shift Spinal Health · Adelaide
Not all headaches are the same, and some of the most common ones come from the neck. If yours is tied to neck tension, posture or stiffness, it is often something that can be helped. Here is how to tell, and how we approach it at Shift.
What It Is
Many types, and some come from the neck.
Headache is one of the most common complaints there is, and there are many different types. Some are driven by the neck and the muscles and joints around it. The two most common of these are cervicogenic headache, which refers up from the neck, and tension-type headache, which is closely linked to muscle tension, posture and stress.
These are the headaches where assessing and caring for the neck can make a real difference. Other headaches, such as migraine, work differently and can need a different kind of care. Part of a good assessment is telling which is which, so you are pointed toward what will actually help.
The Giveaway
Signs a headache may be coming from your neck.
Headaches that involve the neck often share a pattern. None of these confirms it on its own, but together they are a strong clue worth assessing.
Starts at the base of the skull
Pain that begins at the back of the head or the top of the neck and spreads up or forward over the head.
Tied to your neck and posture
Worse with long periods at a screen, sustained postures, or certain neck movements, and often alongside neck stiffness.
Often one-sided
Cervicogenic headache tends to stay on the same side, and usually comes with reduced or uncomfortable neck movement.
Being Straight With You
What we do, and do not, help with.
We focus on headaches that have a neck or musculoskeletal contribution, the cervicogenic and tension-type headaches described above. Those are the ones where working on the neck, posture and the daily loads feeding into them can genuinely help.
Where a headache looks more like migraine or another type, that may need different care, often medical, and part of the assessment is recognising that and helping you get to the right place. We are not trying to be the answer to every headache. We are here to help with the ones the neck is driving, and to be honest when it is not.
Knowing The Difference
When a headache needs urgent care.
Most headaches are not dangerous. But some patterns need urgent medical attention rather than an appointment with us.
Seek urgent medical care if you have
- A sudden, severe headache that peaks within seconds or minutes, the worst of your life
- A headache after a head injury, or with fever and a stiff neck
- A headache with changes to your vision, speech or balance, or new weakness, numbness or confusion
- A new or different headache if you are over 50, or with unexplained weight loss
If any of these apply, seek urgent medical care or call 000. When in doubt, treat a sudden or severe new headache as an emergency.
The Evidence
Address the neck, not just the symptom.
For headaches with a neck or muscular contribution, conservative care that addresses the neck, alongside posture and the daily loads that feed into it, can help. Staying active and managing the aggravators usually matters more over time than reaching for stronger medication.
Where a headache is not coming from the neck, we will say so and help you get to the right care. That honesty is part of the point of starting with a proper assessment.
How We Work
The Shift approach to neck-related headache.
Care at Shift is structured and active. It starts with understanding your headache and your neck, then works on settling symptoms and building the strength and habits that reduce what feeds them.
Assess first
Everything starts with a Spinal Health Assessment. A clinician examines your neck, asks about your headache pattern, triggers and history, and works out whether the neck is contributing and whether this is a headache we can help.
Chiropractic care and Smart Decompression
Depending on what suits your case, your care may involve chiropractic care, the MT Core Smart Decompression, or both. The MT Core is a computer-guided table Shift was the first in South Australia to bring here. More on Smart Decompression.
Build strength and mobility
Care here is active. Guided rehabilitation focuses on the neck and shoulder strength, mobility and posture endurance that ease the loads feeding your headaches, using our rehab gym and app between visits.
Track with the Shift Score
Your progress is measured with the Shift Score and re-checked every 4 weeks, so change is something you can see rather than take on faith.
Is It For You
Who this suits.
Our structured program, Rebuild, is built for people who:
- Have recurring headaches that seem tied to their neck, posture or tension
- Also deal with neck stiffness or neck pain alongside the headaches
- Have already tried other things without lasting change
- Want to take an active part in their recovery, not just be treated
- Prefer a clear, structured path over open-ended visits
Not everyone who comes in needs the full program, and not every headache is one we can help. The assessment is where we work out whether yours is, and if it is not, we will point you in the right direction.
Questions
Headaches, answered.
Yes, for headaches with a neck or musculoskeletal contribution. Shift Spinal Health provides assessed, non-surgical care at two Adelaide clinics, Allenby Gardens and Malvern. Everything starts with a Spinal Health Assessment, so a clinician can work out whether your headache is one the neck is driving.
Yes. Cervicogenic headache is pain that refers up from the joints, muscles and nerves of the neck, and tension-type headache is closely linked to neck and shoulder muscle tension and posture. Both are common, and both are headaches where assessing and caring for the neck can make a difference.
Migraine works differently from a neck-related headache and can need a different kind of care, often medical. We focus on headaches with a neck or musculoskeletal contribution. Where your headache looks more like migraine or another type, part of the assessment is recognising that and helping you get to the right care.
Seek urgent medical care for a sudden severe headache that peaks within seconds or minutes, a headache after a head injury or with fever and a stiff neck, or a headache with changes to vision, speech, balance, or new weakness, numbness or confusion. A new or different headache over 50, or with unexplained weight loss, also needs prompt medical review.
Most neck-related and tension-type headaches do not need imaging to begin, and are recognised from the pattern and a physical examination. Imaging is considered when there are warning signs or the picture is unclear. If a scan is useful in your case, we will guide you.
Start Here
A full assessment of your neck and your history, a conversation about your headache pattern and what you want back, and where it makes clinical sense, your first MT Core Smart Decompression session so you experience the equipment. If your headaches keep coming and your neck feels part of the story, this is where you find out whether it is.