Neck pain and headaches often come together. You might wake with restricted movement, feel it build through a working day, or get headaches that start at the base of the skull and wrap forward behind the eye.

What tends to cause it

Many headaches are driven by the upper neck rather than the head itself. The joints and muscles of the top three cervical segments refer pain into the head in patterns that are recognisable once you know what to look for. Desk work, screen height, stress and clenching all contribute it.

How we treat it

We assess the neck joints directly to see which ones reproduce your symptoms, treat them with hands-on work, then address the postural and load factors keeping them irritated. Lasting change comes from building tolerance, so we progressively strengthen the deep neck and shoulder blade muscles until they can hold up through a full day rather than fatiguing by mid-afternoon. Where headaches are involved, most people notice a change within a few sessions if the neck is the driver.

What it often feels like

• Stiffness turning your head

• Waking with a locked or painful neck

• Headaches from the base of the skull forward

• Pain into the shoulder blade or down the arm

• Tension that builds through the afternoon