The Head-Neck Connection: Why Your Concussion Headaches Might Be Coming From Your Neck

When you have a concussion, your attention is naturally focused on your head and brain. But what if the source of your ongoing headaches or dizziness isn't just your brain, but also your neck? This is an often-overlooked connection that many people miss, but it's a key area that a concussion physical therapist can help you with.

Concussion is More Than a Brain Injury

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury, but it rarely happens in isolation. The same force that causes the brain to move inside the skull - leading to symptoms like confusion and brain fog-also puts immense stress on the muscles, ligaments, and joints of the neck.

When the head whips forward and back, or side to side, the neck acts as a lever. This can lead to what is known as a cervicogenic injury, where the structures in the neck are damaged. This damage can cause inflammation and irritation, sending pain signals up to your head, resulting in persistent headaches that feel a lot like post-concussion headaches.

The symptoms of a cervicogenic headache can be very similar to those of a concussion, including:

• Headaches, often starting at the back of the head and moving to the front.
• Neck pain and stiffness.
• Dizziness or lightheadedness.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Light and sound sensitivity.

Because the symptoms overlap so much, it can be hard to know whether your headache is coming from your brain or your neck. This is where a specialized physical therapist comes in.

How Physical Therapy Can Help

A concussion physical therapist has extra training in evaluating and treating the neck. Through a detailed assessment, we can identify if your neck is contributing to your symptoms. This can involve gentle manual techniques, range of motion tests, and specific exercises.

If your headaches are coming from your neck, we can use a variety of techniques to help you feel better and recover faster, including:

• Manual Therapy: Gentle hands-on techniques to release tight muscles and improve mobility in the neck.
• Targeted Exercises: Specific stretches and strengthening exercises to stabilize your neck and improve its tolerance for daily activities.
• Gradual Re-introduction of Activity: Guided exercises that safely expose your body to movement and help reduce your sensitivity to stimuli.

A concussion physical therapist can address both the brain and the neck to ensure you're on the right path. Understanding the head-neck connection is a game-changer for concussion recovery. It helps us find the root cause of your symptoms so we can create a treatment plan that truly works.