If your headaches start in your neck or shoulders, physical therapy can change the pattern. We treat the mechanics feeding the pain.
Neck-driven headaches leave clues. Check yours against these.
The joints and muscles of your upper neck share nerve pathways with your head. When they are irritated by posture load, tension, or stiffness, the pain often shows up in your temples, forehead, or behind your eyes instead of your neck. These are cervicogenic headaches, and we treat them all the time.
Migraine is its own neurological condition, and we will not tell you we cure it. But for many people with migraine, neck dysfunction is a real trigger, and reducing it can mean fewer and gentler episodes. We work alongside your physician and treat the piece we can change.
Bad information keeps a lot of people hurting longer than they should. Let's clear a few up.
Stress contributes, but stress lands on your neck and jaw as physical tension. Treat the physical piece and the same stressful week produces fewer headaches.
For neck-driven headaches, hands-on care and targeted exercise have strong evidence for reducing how often and how hard they hit.
Not necessarily. Referred pain is sneaky, and plenty of neck-driven headaches come with no neck pain at all. The exam tells us either way.
Headache plans typically combine these tools.
Gentle, specific hands-on work for the joints most often responsible for referring pain into the head.
Explore manual therapy →
Releases the trigger points in the neck and shoulders that are known to refer pain into the head.
About dry needling →
Endurance training for the small muscles that hold your head up, so tension stops accumulating.
About therapeutic exercise →
Workstation and screen-habit changes that remove the daily fuel from the fire.
About ergonomic training →In Illinois you can start physical therapy without a doctor's referral, so there's nothing standing between you and relief. We accept most major plans and offer self-pay options. Not sure about your coverage? We'll check it for you before your first visit.
Here's exactly what your first visit looks like.
We start with your history, your symptoms, and the goals that matter to you.
We look at how your whole body moves to find what's driving your pain, not just where it hurts.
A hands-on treatment plan built around your body and your life, and a therapist who stays with you the whole way.
Every therapist on our team is trained in the entirety of the kinetic chain. That means we look at how your whole body moves, not just the part that hurts, and treat the cause instead of the symptom. You get that same care at all 10 of our clinics.
The same hands-on, whole-body approach guides every plan we build.
Every clinic is held to the same standard, set by therapists with advanced training in how the body moves.
You'll see the same faces at your home clinic, people who know your name and your goals.
"…The result? Less pain, fewer headaches and more energy to take on extended desk work and daily activities! Thanks to Christine and the team for such a great experience!"
"Travis and Carl are great and have helped me out so much with the shoulder pain and headaches I've been having. The facility is clean, everything is well-organized, and everyone is friendly."
Treated at all 10 of our clinics in the greater Chicago area.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what's bothering you. You'll hear from us within one business day to get you scheduled.