Some headaches are a neck problem wearing a disguise.
The top joints of your neck share nerve supply with the base of your skull and the side of your head. When those joints stiffen up, or the muscles under the back of the skull stay switched on all day, the pain gets felt as a headache. The jaw does the same thing. A jaw that clenches pulls on muscles that refer straight into the temple and the side of the head.
That is a mechanical problem, and mechanical problems respond to hands-on treatment and to changing whatever keeps feeding them. It is not every headache. Some belong with your physician, and part of an honest evaluation is telling you which one you appear to be dealing with rather than treating everything the same way.
The signs that point back at the neck.
None of these diagnose anything on their own. Together they tell us a neck and jaw assessment is worth doing.
Starts At The Base Of The Skull
A headache that begins at the back of the neck and spreads up over the head or in behind the eye.
One Side, Same Side
Head pain that stays on one side and does not swap sides from one episode to the next.
Worse With Neck Positions
Head pain that builds with time at a screen, long drives, or a night sleeping in an awkward position.
Neck Stiffness Along With It
Less turning or side bending in the neck, often on the same side as the headache and moving with it.
Tender Under The Skull
Pressing the muscles at the base of the skull or the upper traps reproduces the headache you already know.
Jaw Clenching And Tightness
Tightness, clicking or clenching in the jaw, often worst first thing in the morning, alongside pain in the temple.
Treat the neck and jaw. See what the headache does.
Every visit is one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. The full one-on-one evaluation screens your neck, upper back and jaw, checks how much motion you have and where, and looks for the tissues that reproduce your familiar headache when we press or move them. That test tells us more than any label does.
From there, hands-on joint work gives the top of the neck back the motion it has lost. Dry needling is one of our flagship services and is used on the muscles under the skull, across the upper traps and around the jaw that refer pain up into the head. Cupping and soft tissue work reach the same tissues. Then we build endurance in the deep neck muscles and change the desk, sleep and training habits that keep feeding it.
No referral needed. Texas direct access covers up to 30 consecutive business days.
In his own words.
"Highly recommend. Very knowledgeable team and friendly. Always treated with care."Michael S. · The Complete Athlete, San Antonio
Schedule an Appointment
No referral needed. Texas direct access lets us treat you for up to 30 consecutive business days without one.
Your first visit is a full one-on-one evaluation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Tell us everything, get straight answers, and leave with a plan.
You’re all set.
We’ll reach out within one business day to confirm your appointment. If you need to speak with us sooner, call us directly.