A headache at the base of your neck is a tension type of headache and it’s one of the most common headaches that people suffer from. It can cause quite a lot of pain and discomfort so if you deal with this problem, learn about the causes and possible methods of treatment.What Do We Understand By a Headache?
Before you start struggling with a headache at the base of your neck, first try to understand what a headache really is.
A headache is a feeling of pain or discomfort in your head or face area. They may occur in different parts of our head and face with pain being very mild or really severe. The frequency of headaches also varies depending on the person.
Various parts of our head can be blameful for our headache. A common culprit can be found in a network of nerves, which spreads over the scalp. Some nerves in your face, mouth, or even throat as well as the muscles in our head, neck, or shoulders may cause a headache too. Blood vessels which are located along the surface and at the base of the brain can be responsible for headaches too.
There are three main types of headaches, which are migraine, cluster headaches and tension headaches. If you suffer from a migraine, apart from pain in your head, you probably experience other unpleasant symptoms too, such as sensitivity to light or vomiting.
Cluster headaches often last for weeks or even months. Pain in this type of headache is usually extreme and it occurs on one side of your head, often behind one eye, which is additionally reddish or watery. Your nose might be congested too.
Tension headaches are the most frequent types of headaches. They occur mainly at the back of your neck and they are connected with stress and stiffness of our muscles.
Moreover, all types of headaches are also systematized as a primary or a secondary one. If you suffer from a primary headache, it means that it is the predominant problem.
In case of a secondary headache, however, it is only a symptom of an underlying medical disorder. For example, your headache may be due to your eye problems.
What Do You Think It Causes Headache at the Base of the Neck?
A headache at the base of your neck is a tension type of headache, which in medical terms is known as occipital neuralgia. It appears when your occipital nerves are irritated by something or there is pressure on them.
It’s often difficult to identify one particular reason that leads to occipital neuralgia, but among some common causes there are injuries at the back of the neck, osteoarthritis, diseases of cervical disc, stiff neck muscles or neck tension. Tumors in the neck are the most serious sources of pain at the back of the neck, but they happen rarely.
What’s more, some infections or conditions such as diabetes or gout may lead to occipital neuralgia too. Another reason is the inflammation of blood vessels.
A strained muscle is quite a common reason for pain at the back of the neck. It often happens as a consequence of a sports injury or a car accident, when our muscles were not ready for a sudden or quick movement.
In case you tear or rupture your muscle, apart from pain you can also experience swelling or inflammation.
However, one of the most probable reasons for headache at the base of the neck is bad body posture. The majority of us lead sedentary lifestyle, which means that we are physically inactive for most of the day. What’s worse, even when we sit, we don’t pay attention to our posture. We tend to lean our head forward and spend long hours in front of the computer or watching TV.
When our posture is poor we put too much pressure on certain ligaments, joints, and muscles which are supposed to hold our head up. After some time, our muscles get weak or still, and they aren’t flexible anymore. As a consequence, we feel pain at the base of our neck.
Tension headaches might also be the consequence of some changes that occur in the level of serotonin and endorphins, which are brain chemicals that boost pain pathways and take part in the brain’s ability to prevent pain.
If a person have osteoarthritis diagnosed, it means that his or her spinal structure has been worn and torn. So called osteophytes or bone spurs develop, which are bony outgrowths that may put tension on soft tissues, for example, on our nerves. It results in local or spreading pain at the back of the neck.
A disc herniation is another common condition that affects the cervical spine. It occurs when too much stress or motion is put on it and the disc is pushed outside, which results in irritation and sensitivity of the nerves. Of course, it might be quite painful.
Other bone problems, such as occipital bone osteoporosis may promote pain in the back of the neck and head too. However, it’s usually a problem of people over the age of 50.
Pay attention to the way you sleep as a bad sleeping position may result in stiff neck and strained neck muscles. It’s recommended to sleep on your back with your neck stabilized. You must also be aware that people with sleeping difficulties may suffer from chronic pain at the base of the neck too.
The most serious cause of pain at the base of the neck is cancer, which may develop in the bones of the cervical part of the spine. However, it’s a very rare case and your doctor may start to consider that option only when a headache is continuous and doesn’t respond to any therapies. Remember also that most tumors are not cancerous.
How to Diagnose a Headache at the Base of the Neck
If a headache at the base of your neck is not incidental and you start to worry about it or it causes so much pain or discomfort that you can’t live a normal life, go to your doctor at once.
He will perform a complete medical evaluation and he will run some tests. Be prepared to answer some detailed questions about your headaches, such as when the headaches appear and what their exact location is.
Try to recall how long the headaches last and if any change in your body position triggers the pain. The doctor will also want to know if you are a stressed person, if you had any head injuries in the past or if you deal with sleeping difficulties.
A physical test should be performed too. Thus, you doctor might press at different points at the back of your head to see if it causes any pain. A common test that shows if your pain is the result of occipital neuralgia is known as a nerve block. The doctor will give you a shot to blunt the nerve and if it brings you some relief, it means that it’s occipital neuralgia.
The doctor might also recommend you doing some tests. The basic ones are blood tests as blood compounds may tell you something about the underlying causes of your headaches.
Thanks to x-rays or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) your doctor will be provided with detailed pictures of structures in your body. The most detailed, however, is a computed tomography scan (CT or CAT scan) as it shows not only the organs and bones of our body, but also muscles and fat.
Remember, though, that you will have to do MRI scan or CAT scan only if your symptoms aren’t typical. In most cases a thorough medical evaluation is just enough to get the right diagnosis.
How to Treat a Headache at the Base of the Neck
A treatment depends on the cause, that’s why the right diagnosis is the key to find an effective solution to your headaches.
However, there are some things you can do on your own the moment you start feeling pain and discomfort as they will bring you immediate relief from pain.
Start with applying a warm compress on your neck and have a rest in a quiet place for a moment. Gently massage your neck or, if it’s difficult for you to access a painful place, ask somebody to do it for you. Buy some over-the-counter painkillers, such as naproxen or ibuprofen.
When home remedies don’t work, your doctor will prescribe you some stronger medications. A common option is using muscle relaxants, especially if your headache is due to a muscle injury.
A muscle relaxant, such as paracetamol, will relax the strained muscles and it will alleviate pain. When muscle relaxants used wisely and not too frequently, they are safe and effective.
Corticosteroids are also drugs that your doctor might prescribe you. They are mainly used by people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis as they soothe the inflamed joints and eliminate the pain for some time.
Your doctor may also decide to antiseizure drugs, for example carbamazepine or gabapentin. If your problems result from stress or depression, you may recommend you some antidepressants.
If the pain at the base of your neck is due to a compressed disc or pinched nerve, he may apply something which is known as neck traction. It is a kind of a strap which is put below your jaw and at the back of the nape. Its role is to eliminate the pressure from your muscles and ligaments.
A rather short-term kind of treatment are nerve blocks or steroid injections. A series of shots may bring you relief for a few weeks or even months. However, be aware that it’s just a symptomatic treatment so it’s very likely that the headaches will return after some time.
If you don’t like the idea of taking medications on a regular basis, consider a chiropractic treatment. In this method a chiropractor will manipulate on your spine to restore a normal alignment to your spinal column. It should release the tension and relieve the pain at the base of the neck.
The last option is surgery, however, it’s always the last resort and your doctor will recommend it to you only if the pain is really severe and all the other possible treatments don’t work.
One of the possible operations is microvascular decompression, during which the doctor will work on the blood vessels that might be putting pressure on your nerve. Once it’s resolved, your pain will go away.
Occipital nerve stimulation is another option. During this procedure the specialist will use a neurostimulator to carry electrical pulses to the occipital nerves. Due to this method, your brain won’t read pain messages.
However, the best, the safest, and the most natural treatment you should always try to follow is regular exercising.
Exercises To Partake for a Headache at the Base of the Neck
The main cause of occipital neuralgia is the irritation of the occipital nerve. While medications or steroid shots are the most common ways of treatments, try exercises too. They might be unbelievably effective, but always consult your doctor before you introduce them into your daily routine.
One of the exercises you should try is known as sub-occipital neck stretch. Sit in a chair that supports your back. Keep your head and neck in one line with your spine. Now put your pointer and middle finger of your right hand on your chin. Now gently push your chin back as if you were trying to form a double chin.
Don’t open your mouth while doing the exercise and move only your head back. Probably you will feel a stretch at the back and sides of your neck. Hold for a few seconds and move back to a starting position.
Neck rotation is another wonderful and easy exercise. Sit or stand so that your neck and head are in a straight line with your spine. Now very slowly start to rotate your head to the left. Remember to keep your head straight and stretch as far as you can, without feeling any pain or strain. Hold for a moment, move back to the starting position and repeat with your right side. Try to do the exercise a few times throughout the day.
It’s also worth working on your neck flexion and extension by performing a simple exercise. Sit in a chair and put your hands on your knees. Look forward and position your head and neck in a straight line with your spine. Now try to lean your head back so that you can look at the ceiling. Move back to the starting position.
Now, lean your head forward so that you can touch your chest with your chin. Return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 10 times.
If you want to get rid of a headache at the base of the neck, you should seriously consider taking up yoga. Relaxation is one of the best things you can offer to your stiffen muscles. Savasana is a yoga pose that might turn out to be the most effective.
Lie on your back, put a pillow under your head. You can also tie your eyes to intensify the relaxation. Your legs should maintain a natural position, your arms should be kept by your sides with your palms facing up. Stay in this position for about 30 minutes, try to concentrate only on your breathing.
The first attempts with savasana might be unsuccessful as it can be difficult for you to stay calm, not to fidget, or calm down your thoughts. However, once you get used to it, savasana will bring you in a state of deep relaxation and that may help you eliminate headaches at the base of the neck.
How to Prevent Headaches at the Base of the Neck
The best way to prevent a headache is to learn the triggers and then avoid them. However, there are some general rules which may be helpful in getting rid of headaches at the back of your head or neck.
It may sound surprising, but avoid food enhancers, such as Monosodium Glutamate. It intensifies the taste and makes our food delicious, however, some studies have proved that it may cause some side effects.
Apparently, some people are sensitive to this chemical compound and as a result they suffer from headaches. To see if that’s the culprit of your problem, cut it off for some time and check if you can feel the difference.
Other unhealthy food compounds, which may lead to headaches, are nitrates and amines. You can find the former one in chocolate, yeast bread, or lima beans. The latter one is found in processed type of food, such as hot dogs, salami, hamburgers, or bacon.
It’s a popular myth that if you have a headache, you should drink a cup of strong coffee. However, it is only partially true. If your headache is just episodic and it happens as a result of low blood pressure then a cup of coffee from time to time can actually help you.
Unfortunately, many of us drink a few cups of coffee on a daily basis without any particular reason and this might be the culprit of headaches. Try to reduce the intake of coffee, but do it gradually as if you just suddenly stop drinking coffee at all, you may get even stronger headaches.
However, there are also some food compounds which you should include into your everyday diet. For instance, you should take fish oil capsules as it has been proved that people who take it on a regular basis notice considerable improvement. It’s been assumed that it’s because of the presence of omega-3 fatty acids in fish.
Ginger is another powerful food compound that might help you to get rid of headaches at the base of the neck. It’s due to the fact that ginger boosts the release of a substance known as thromboxane A2, which helps to maintain a proper blood flow. A well-balanced flow of blood may prevent headaches.
A high level of magnesium in your organism is crucial too as it can lessen the tension in your muscles, which might be responsible for headaches at the base of the neck.
Taking magnesium from food only is often not enough so it’s recommended to supplement this compound in the amount of at least 200mg a day. Moreover, magnesium appears to be very effective if you suffer from headaches before menstruation.
Pay attention to your posture too. Don’t lean forward, but try to walk and sit straight. If your work requires sitting a lot, every hour have a short break, during which you should walk along the room and do simple stretching exercises. They will just take you a few minutes, but it might be the key to eliminating the problem of headaches. Also, set your chair in such a way that your back will be straight and well-supported.
As you already know that headaches at the base of the neck often occur as a consequence of weak muscles, work out regularly. Do some weightlifting exercises at least twice a week as they can quickly strengthen your spine and a healthy, strong spine greatly reduces the risk of having headaches at the base of the neck.
When Is The actual Time To Seek Immediate Medical Care
In most cases a headache at the base of the neck doesn’t indicate anything serious and you can quickly manage it with over-the-counter painkillers. Sometimes introducing some changes into your diet and lifestyle are just enough to get rid of pain.
However, there are some situations when a headache is a sign of a more serious condition. In such a case, apart from a headache you may also experience other accompanying symptoms.
If you experience a strong headache and you also feel that your neck is stiff or you have fever, weakness of muscles or double vision, contact your doctor immediately. Additionally, if your headaches appear together with the feeling of confusion, you’ve noticed any changes in your personality, the level of your consciousness changes or you’ve been vomiting, seek a medical care at once.
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