can neck pain cause your head to hurt?
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One very common cause of tension headaches is rooted in the neck, resulting from muscle tension and trigger points. At the base of the skull there is a group of muscles, the suboccipital muscles, which can cause headache pain for many people.
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Poor circulation stemming from a primary cause such as diabetes can lead to extreme neck pain and severe headaches. Though many people think that the pain, tingling or numbness is causing the pain, it's actually the reverse.
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An unstable vertebra can shift or dislocate over time and eventually press on the spinal cord and nerve roots. When this happens, you may have numbness and tingling around the neck that radiates up the back of the head. This is in addition to joint pain, stiffness, and swelling.
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Cervicogenic headaches may intensify when you're lying down. Some people will actually wake up because the pain disrupts their sleep. When lying down, you may also feel a pressure on the top of your head like a weight. Learn more about herniated disks.
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Yes, it can actually be that simple. Tension headaches happen when your neck and scalp muscles are strained, especially if they're held in the same position for a long time (as in, overnight!). Choose a pillow that keeps your head and neck in a neutral position, as if you were standing.
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“When you sit at a computer for eight hours a day, you tend to have poor alignment,” she says. “The poor posture that many people have from sitting like this causes neck pain.” Besides poor posture, improper positioning of your head while you talk on your phone can cause neck pain.
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Your pillow A pillow that doesn't support your head and neck properly can create tension in your neck muscles, and cause neck pain. Feather or memory-foam pillows may allow your head to be “cradled” at night, allowing for a neutral spine and neck.
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The neck may become stiff or painful when overused or injured. A stiff neck often occurs when one of the muscles becomes strained or tense. Stiffness can also develop if one or more of the vertebrae is injured. A stiff neck may become painful when a person tries to move their neck or head.
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Tension in the neck and shoulders can lead to eye pain, as tense muscles can press on eye nerves at the back of your neck.
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Poor posture: If you tend to slouch when you sit or stand, that can strain the muscles in the back of your head, upper back, neck, and jaw. It also can put pressure on the nerves in those areas. As a result, poor posture can cause tension headaches and pain in the back of your head.
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Occipital neuralgia Pinched nerves can happen when you keep your neck bent for a long time. It can also be due to arthritis in the neck and shoulders. Occipital neuralgia can cause pain and throbbing in your neck, in the back or on one side of your head, and behind the ear.
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Study Finds Neck Pain Is Symptom of Migraine—Not a Trigger of the Migraine. Neck pain associated with migraine cannot be attributed to increased trapezius activity during rest, mental stress, and physical activity or prolonged muscle activity and should be seen as an accompanying symptom of migraine.
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This type of head pain goes away when you address the cause. The most common type of headache is a tension headache, which feels like someone is pressing on or squeezing your head -- sometimes spreading to or from the neck. The cause is attributed to tightness in the muscles of the neck, jaw, scalp, and shoulders.
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Neck pain is a common symptom of TMJ disorder. In patients with TMJ disorders, head and neck aches can be quite varied in character, position, and timing. In general, it helps to understand the cause of these aches with TMJ since that may help you characterize the discomforts better.
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Herniated cervical disc causing stiff neck and headache A herniated cervical disc occurs when one of the soft discs between one of the seven vertebrae in your neck becomes damaged and bulges out of your spinal column. If this presses on a nerve, you can feel pain in your neck and head.
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This is because stress often causes heightened tension on the muscles in the neck. This reduces the mobility of the vertebrae in the neck and upper back, irritating the nerves in the area. The nerve irritation stemming from the neck often contributes to tension headaches.
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Tension headaches are the most common cause of headaches that occur on the top of the head. They cause a constant pressure or aching around the head, which may feel like a tight band has been placed around the head. You may also feel pain in your neck and near the back of your head or temples.