Can Your Neck Cause Headaches? What Your Upper Cervical Spine Has to Do With It

How a Neuro-Structural Shift at C1 & C2 can show up in more ways than one

It starts at the base of your skull in the middle of the afternoon, and by dinner it has wrapped around to sit behind your eyes. You drink the water, get the sleep, and keep an over-the-counter medication in your desk drawer for it. It helps, and a few days later the headache is back. Maybe you’ve also noticed it’s harder to turn and check your blind spot, or you feel a little off balance when you look up quickly.

So can your neck cause headaches? Often it can, and at Platinum Chiropractic in San Jose, the top of the neck is one of the first places Dr. Karo Isajan looks.

According to the World Health Organization, headache disorders affect about 40 percent of people worldwide. Pain relievers, physical therapy, massage, and a better pillow all have their place and help many people get through the week. When headaches are recurring, we look for the underlying cause, and one of the first places we look is the top of the neck.

Why the Top of Your Neck Matters

Your top vertebra, C1, is called the atlas, after the figure in Greek mythology who held the world on his shoulders. Your atlas holds up your head, which is about the weight and shape of a bowling ball. Just below it, C2 is called the axis, because it’s the pivot your atlas turns on. Together they handle about half of your neck’s ability to turn side to side.

C1 also surrounds the point where your spinal cord meets your brainstem, the part of your nervous system that helps regulate functions like breathing, heart rate, and immune system function. Research shows the sensory nerves at the top of your neck connect directly to the brainstem centers that coordinate these functions.

In a separate controlled study, spinal adjustments to the mid-back were followed by a short-term increase in the activity of white blood cells, the cells that help fight infection. It’s a small area with a big job, and it’s where a lot of important nerve communication passes through.

How a Neuro-Structural Shift at C1 & C2 Can Show Up

For some people, it’s headaches. For others, it’s dizziness, a neck that doesn’t turn as far as it used to, or a compromised immune system. A Neuro-Structural Shift at the top of the neck may show up as:

• Headaches or migraines, often starting at the base of the skull and wrapping around to the back of the eyes
• Pain or tension at the base of the skull that can run up the back of the head
• Stiffness and reduced rotation when you turn your head
• Vertigo, dizziness, or feeling unsteady, especially with head movement
• Tension across the shoulders and upper back as the spine below compensates
• Compromised immune system function, through the vagus nerve, which begins in the brainstem, passes right in front of C1, and helps regulate inflammation

In plain terms, a Neuro-Structural Shift means the spine has moved out of its normal alignment and motion, and the nerve communication traveling through it may be disrupted. Every Neuro-Structural Shift has those two components: the spinal alignment and movement, and the nerve communication.

When a Neuro-Structural Shift develops here, altered alignment and loss of segmental motion at C1 and C2 place uneven pressure on the upper cervical joints and the suboccipital muscles (the small muscles at the base of your skull). Over time, this leads to joint restriction, muscular imbalances, and sustained tension, and the nerve communication passing through the area may become obstructed.

The nerves of the upper neck share a relay point in the brainstem with the nerves that supply your forehead and eyes, which is why a problem at the top of your neck can feel like pressure behind your eyes. When nerve communication through this area becomes obstructed, a headache is often the secondary condition, and the Neuro-Structural Shift is the underlying cause.

Headache researchers recognize this connection too. The International Headache Society classifies cervicogenic headache as a headache caused by a disorder of the cervical spine.

The upper neck is also rich in proprioceptors (position sensors) that tell your brain where your head is in space. When motion there is disrupted, the signals your brain uses for balance can be disrupted too.

What It Costs When the Cause Goes Unaddressed

Each of these secondary conditions has its own consequence: medication for the headache may tax your kidneys and liver, a massage for the tension is only temporary, a slower turn of the head in the car risks your safety.

When the underlying cause (Neuro-Structural Shift) is left unaddressed, the spine below continues to compensate, and one secondary condition can become two or three. It’s the afternoons you push through at half-focus, the plans you cancel, and having to schedule your week around the next headache.

When the Neuro-Structural Shift is corrected, nerve communication has a clear path again, and your body is better able to keep up with work, family, and the activities you love.

How Do You Know If a Neuro-Structural Shift Is Behind Your Headaches?

You can’t tell by where it hurts. That’s why we perform an in-depth Neuro-Structural Examination.

The exam includes a range of testing, including Muscle & Nerve Testing, orthopedic and neurological testing, and all necessary X-rays, including 4-View Motion X-rays, which show how C1 and C2 move as you turn and bend your head.

Then there is a second visit to go over all of your results, Dr. Karo’s recommendation of care to reach your health goals, and an opportunity for an adjustment.

Together, those findings show Dr. Karo where a Neuro-Structural Shift has occurred, how it is affecting your nervous system, and what needs to be corrected.

It’s the same thorough analysis for everyone who comes to our San Jose office, whether you live down the street or drive in from Campbell, Willow Glen, or Los Gatos.

There’s no need to wait it out. If headaches have become part of your normal week, schedule a Complimentary Consultation so we can see whether the top of your neck is part of the picture and help you get back to doing what you love.

And if someone you know has been living with recurring headaches, give them our number.

Frequently Asked Questions