Headaches and Migraines
Almost everyone gets the occasional headache. But when headaches or migraines become a regular part of your week, they deserve more than another painkiller.
The short answer
A headache is a symptom, and two people with identical headaches can have completely different causes — stress, posture, a neck injury, a concussion. We evaluate your neck, posture, movement and history to find the trigger, then treat the cause rather than mask it: concussion rehab for headaches that trace back to a head injury, pain management for muscle tension or neck problems. We won't promise a cure, only a serious effort to find out why.
About 90% of people get at least one headache a year. That’s not what brings people to us. What brings people to us is the headache that keeps coming back — the migraine that wipes out a day, the tension that builds every afternoon, the pounding that started after a car accident or a hit to the head and never fully left. Chronic headaches are debilitating, and being told nothing is wrong doesn’t make them hurt less.
Why it happens
Headaches have many possible causes, and finding yours is the whole game. Common drivers include:
- Stress and muscle tension
- Poor posture, which loads the neck and the base of the skull hour after hour
- Injury — including whiplash and concussion, where headaches can persist long after the event
- Illness or environmental factors, including food sensitivities
Migraines and cluster headaches are their own category — severe enough that they’re one of the most common reasons people finally seek medical help.
The important point: a headache is a symptom. Two people with identical headaches can have completely different causes, which is why the same treatment helps one and does nothing for the other.
How we treat it
We start by finding the source. Your evaluation looks at your neck, posture, movement, and history — including any concussions or accidents — to work out what’s actually triggering the pain. Once the source is identified, we can determine the best course of treatment and recommend the least invasive option that fits.
If your headaches trace back to a head injury, our concussion rehab team specializes in exactly that — post-concussion headaches are one of the most common symptoms we treat, and one of the most commonly dismissed. For headaches driven by chronic pain, muscle tension, or neck problems, our pain management providers build a plan around the cause rather than masking the symptom.
Even for severe headache and migraine symptoms, a treatment plan can usually be devised to address the issue. We won’t promise a cure. We will promise a serious effort to find out why it’s happening.
When to get checked
Get evaluated if your headaches are frequent, getting worse, interfering with work or sleep, or started after a car accident, fall, or blow to the head. If you’ve been living on pain relievers just to function, that’s reason enough. A sudden, severe headache unlike any you’ve had before warrants emergency care.
Common questions
Can a neck injury cause headaches?
Yes. Injury, including whiplash and concussion, is a common headache driver, and headaches can persist long after the event. Poor posture that loads the neck and the base of the skull hour after hour is another. That's why your evaluation looks at your neck, posture, movement and history to find what's actually triggering the pain.
My headaches started after a concussion. Who do I see?
Our concussion rehab team, which specializes in exactly that. Post-concussion headaches are one of the most common symptoms we treat, and one of the most commonly dismissed. For headaches driven by chronic pain, muscle tension or neck problems, our pain management providers build a plan around the cause rather than masking the symptom.
When is a headache an emergency?
A sudden, severe headache unlike any you've had before warrants emergency care. Otherwise, get evaluated if your headaches are frequent, getting worse, interfering with work or sleep, or started after a car accident, fall or blow to the head. If you've been living on pain relievers just to function, that's reason enough.
Let's find out what's actually wrong.
Tell us what happened and what you have already tried. We'll call you back as soon as possible, and no later than one business day.