Neck pain & headache treatment in Glendale
A surprising number of headaches start in the neck. If yours come with stiffness, limited range of motion, or pain that begins at the base of the skull, the neck is often where the answer is — and treating the head alone is why it hasn’t gone away.
What’s causing your pain?
Desk & Phone Posture
Aching that builds through the workday and settles when you step away from the screen.
Muscle Tension & Trigger Points
Tight bands in the neck and upper shoulders that refer pain elsewhere when pressed.
Cervical Joint Restriction
Limited range of motion — turning your head one direction feels noticeably harder.
Whiplash From Auto Accidents
Stiffness and pain that often showed up a day or two after the collision, not immediately.
Stress-related tension
Shoulders creeping toward your ears, with pain that tracks your stress level.
Sleep Position & Pillow
Waking up worse than when you went to bed, often on the same side each time.
Which kind of headache do you have?
Tension Headache
A band-like pressure that wraps around the head, often described as a tight cap or vise. Stress, long hours at a screen, and poor sleep are common triggers.
Cervicogenic Headache
Starts at the base of the skull and spreads forward — often toward one temple or behind the eye. Typically one-sided, and usually comes with neck stiffness or reduced range of motion.
Migraine
Throbbing pain, often with nausea or light sensitivity. Migraine is a neurological condition needing medical management — but if neck tension is one of your triggers, addressing it may help.
When a headache starts in your neck
The nerves in your upper neck share pathways with the nerves that carry sensation from your head and face. When the joints or muscles in that area are irritated, your brain can interpret the signal as head pain — which is why a problem at the base of your skull can feel like a headache across your temple or behind your eye.
This is called a cervicogenic headache, and it’s frequently mistaken for tension headache or migraine. The distinguishing signs are usually neck stiffness alongside the headache, pain that’s worse with certain head positions, and a pattern that tends to stay on one side.
If that sounds like what you’re experiencing, treating the headache without addressing the neck is likely why nothing has stuck.
How We Can Treat Your Pain
Working at a desk all day?
Four things worth adjusting, in rough order of impact:
· Raise your monitor so the top of the screen is at eye level — most neck strain comes from looking down.
· Bring your phone up to your face rather than dropping your head to it.
· Move every 30 minutes, even briefly. Position matters less than staying in one for hours.
· Check your pillow height. Your neck should stay roughly neutral, not propped up or dropped down.
If that sounds like what you’re experiencing, treating the headache without addressing the neck is likely why nothing has stuck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — it’s more common than most people realize. The nerves in your upper neck share pathways with the nerves carrying sensation from your head and face, so irritation in the neck joints or muscles can register as head pain. These are called cervicogenic headaches, and they’re often mistaken for tension headaches or migraine. The telltale signs are neck stiffness alongside the headache, pain that shifts with head position, and a pattern that stays on one side.
Neck adjustments are widely used and generally well tolerated. Mild soreness for a day or two afterward is the most common effect. That said, chiropractic isn’t appropriate for everyone — certain conditions, medications, and vascular issues are contraindications, which is why we take a full history and examine you before adjusting anything. If we don’t think it’s the right approach for you, we’ll say so and suggest something else.
Many patients find acupuncture helpful for tension-type headaches and neck-related head pain. It’s often used alongside chiropractic and soft tissue work rather than on its own. Results vary from person to person, and we’ll be honest with you about whether it’s likely to help in your situation. Note that Medicare covers acupuncture only for chronic low back pain — headache treatment wouldn’t be covered under Part B, though some Medicare Advantage plans differ.
Four adjustments, in rough order of impact:
• Raise your monitor so the top of the screen sits at eye level — most neck strain comes from looking down
• Bring your phone up toward your face instead of dropping your head to it
• Get up and move every 30 minutes; how long you hold a position matters more than which one
• Check your pillow height — your neck should stay roughly neutral overnight, not propped or dropped
Seek immediate medical attention for a sudden severe headache that peaks within seconds, a headache after a head injury, or a headache with fever, confusion, vision changes, weakness, or a stiff neck. These can indicate conditions needing urgent evaluation — call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
For headaches that are frequent, worsening, or disrupting your sleep and daily life, an evaluation is worth having even without those warning signs.
Related Conditions
Start With an Evaluation
Your first visit includes a full evaluation of both your neck mechanics and your headache pattern — when they happen, what triggers them, and what you’ve already tried.
