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Head & Neck Pain

Why Does My Head and Neck Hurt?

We understand that living with discomfort in these areas can be debilitating, affecting your daily life and overall well-being. Our goal is to provide you with valuable insights and effective therapies to alleviate your symptoms and enhance your quality of life.

Common Causes of Head Pain

When it comes to head pain, understanding the underlying causes are essential. Headaches can occur due to Temporomandibular Disorder, migraines or sinus issues.  Symptoms of head pain may include throbbing or pulsating sensations, sensitivity to light or sound, nausea, and difficulty concentrating.

Head pain can have various causes. Here are some common factors that can contribute to head pain:

  • Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD). TMD stands for temporomandibular joint disorder. It refers to a condition that affects the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which is the joint that connects your jawbone to your skull. TMD can cause pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and the muscles that control jaw movement.

Common symptoms of TMD include:

  • Jaw pain: Pain or tenderness in the jaw joint, which may radiate to the face, ear, neck, and shoulders.
  • Jaw stiffness: Difficulty or discomfort while opening or closing the mouth, as well as a sensation of the jaw getting stuck or locked in position.
  • Clicking or popping sounds: A clicking, popping, or grating sound may occur when opening or closing the mouth.
  • Bite problems: Changes in the way the upper and lower teeth fit together when biting or chewing.
  • Headaches: TMD can contribute to tension headaches or migraines, often felt around the temples or at the back of the head.
  • Facial pain: Pain or tenderness in the face, especially in the cheeks or temples.
  • Muscle pain: Myofascial trigger points form when one clenches and grinds for an extended period of time, sometimes even years. Compression can overload muscles, which then spread symptoms in a referred pain pattern throughout the head and neck
  • Tension headaches: Tension headaches are the most common type of headaches and are often caused by muscle tension and stress.
  • Migraines: Migraines are severe headaches that can cause intense throbbing or pulsating pain with nausea, visual disturbances, light and sound sensitivity.
  • Sinus headaches: Sinus headaches occur when the sinuses become inflamed or congested due to allergies, sinus infections, or environmental irritants.

Common Causes of Neck Pain

Neck pain can manifest in various ways, and it’s crucial to recognize the symptoms to seek appropriate care. Common signs of neck pain include persistent aching or stiffness, limited range of motion, muscle tightness, headaches, and even radiating pain to the shoulders or arms.

Neck pain can be caused by various factors, ranging from everyday activities to underlying medical conditions. Here are some common causes of neck pain:

  • Poor posture: Maintaining a poor posture while sitting or standing, using computers, cell phones, tablets, or any form of screen for extended periods can strain the muscles and ligaments in the neck, leading to pain and discomfort.
  • Muscle strain: Overuse in poor posture or sudden movements that strain the neck muscles, such as carrying heavy objects or sleeping in an awkward position, can result in muscle strain and subsequent pain.
  • Whiplash: Whiplash is a neck injury commonly caused by a sudden jolt or impact, such as during a car accident. It occurs when the head is forcefully thrown backward and then forward, causing strain to the neck muscles and ligaments.
  • Herniated disc: A herniated or slipped disc occurs when the soft cushioning material between the vertebrae in the spine protrudes and presses on nearby nerves, resulting in neck pain.
  • Arthritis: Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can affect the joints in the neck, leading to chronic neck pain and stiffness.
  • Text neck: Spending excessive time looking down at electronic devices like smartphones or tablets can strain the neck muscles and lead to neck pain.
  • Pinched nerve: When a nerve in the neck is compressed or irritated, it can cause pain that radiates down the arm and into the neck.

Treatment for Head, Neck and TMD?

  • Specialized Manual Therapy: To restore full range of motion, and joint mobility and decrease pain in the jaw, neck, and upper back
  • Soft Tissue Mobilization: To decrease your facial swelling and pain
  • Dry Needling: May be recommended to address active trigger points of the head and neck muscles
  • Education: To decrease chronic headache and jaw pain through exercises and postural correction.  We may not realize the daily habits that are actually hurting us and overloading our joints and soft tissues
  • Postural Screening and Re-education: To decrease pressure in the jaw, face, neck, and shoulders
  • Facial Exercises: To decrease tension in the face, head, neck, and upper body
  • Breathing Exercises: To restore nasal diaphragmatic breathing patterns to reduce neck tension and chest or mouth breathing
  • Gait Training:  To improve and optimize our alignment during gait to reduce head and neck tension
  • Myofunctional Therapy:  Training the tongue to rest up gently on the palate, strengthening the tongue when it is weak, and positioning and training  it for optimal swallowing function will restore proper support to the throat airway and reduce stress to the head and neck
  • Rocabado TMJ Approach: To treat TMJ disc displacements, locked jaw, clicking and popping painful opening, and painful chewing.  This approach keeps the posture of the spine in mind to create the optimal position of the jaw bone to relate to the cranium.

Videos about Head and Neck Pain

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