Headaches and Neck Pain - Why They Come Together, Treatments and Remedies

It is not unheard of to have both headaches and neck pain simultaneously. In fact, there is a very good chance that the two kinds of pain are related.

Most of the time, headaches don’t actually come from your skull or brain tissue. Why? Because those tissues do not contain nerve fibers that make you feel pain.

Instead, most of the time, headaches originate from nerve fibers that can be found in your scalp. These nerves are connected to your neck muscles, and when something goes wrong in your neck, that nerve can be stimulated, which can lead to a headache.

Were you aware of this relationship between headaches and neck pain?

Headaches that occur simultaneously with neck pain are usually caused by stress, poor lighting, posture, trauma, gum chewing, and TMJ disorders. Other things like meningitis can also cause both headaches and neck pain, although meningitis is fairly uncommon.

Tension headaches are sometimes caused by stress. When you are stressed, you can tense the muscles in your neck, leading to pain there as well. Sometimes, the neck pain actually comes first, and the stiff, contracted muscles can lead to a headache.

Poor lighting can also cause headaches, so keep this in mind the next time you are reading by lamplight. Poor lighting can make you strain your eyes and can also lead to stiffness in your forehead and scalp, which can cause neck pain.

Likewise, poor posture can also lead to headaches and neck pain. When your head and neck are in uncomfortable positions, you can experience pain. You have probably noticed this if you ever wake up in the morning with neck pain, after sleeping in an uncomfortable position.

When you sit in a position that includes a rounded back and forward head, the cervical spine is extended. This can make the neck flexors lengthen, and the muscles in the back of your neck to shorten. As a result, the occipital nerve is strained, which can lead to headaches.

It's not very common, but chewing your gum vigorously can actually strain the muscles in your head and neck. In turn, this can cause neck pain and tension headaches. In a similar manner, TMJ disorders can affect the neck and jaw. Poor jaw alignment, or excessive teeth grinding and jaw clenching, can have effects on your neck, which can then lead to headaches.

Treatments and Remedies

There are some natural health methods that can relieve headaches and neck pain. Most of them involve simple exercises. Stretching the muscles along the back of your neck can help with pain relief. You can also strengthen your abdominal region, which will help correct a forward-headed body posture.

Some people go to a chiropractor's office and go through traction in order to stretch their cervical spine to assist in easing pressure off of the cervical nerves. A chiropractor can perform an adjustment to help align the cervical spine, consequently eliminating pressure to the upper cervical nerves.

Using ice, preferably wrapped in a towel, can help relieve headache and neck pain, too. You can also purchase special ice pillows, although your own version made out of a dishtowel and ice from your freezer will work just as well.

For more headache remedies and treatments, refer to the other related headache articles and pages on this website.

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