Headache & Migraine Treatment in London EC1

What Causes Headaches?

Not all headaches are created equal. Tension-type headaches — the most common type — are typically caused by sustained muscle contraction in the neck, shoulders and scalp, often driven by stress, poor posture or prolonged screen time. They create a band-like pressure around the head.

Cervicogenic headaches originate in the cervical spine and are referred to the head via the upper cervical nerves. They often mimic migraines but are driven by joint restriction and muscle tension in the neck — which is why treating the neck resolves the headache.

How Chiropractic Helps

For cervicogenic and tension headaches, chiropractic treatment is highly effective. Adjustments to the upper cervical and thoracic spine restore normal joint movement, reduce the nerve irritation that refers pain to the head, and break the muscle-tension cycle that sustains the headache.

Dry needling to the neck, upper trapezius and suboccipital muscles provides powerful relief for chronic tension headache sufferers. Combined with postural advice and home exercises, most patients achieve a significant reduction in both frequency and severity.

What Research Shows About Chiropractic & Headaches

Chiropractic care for headaches is not simply clinical tradition — it is backed by systematic research. A 2017 Cochrane review (Bryans et al.) found that spinal manipulative therapy significantly reduces the frequency and intensity of cervicogenic headaches and episodic tension-type headaches compared with placebo and other interventions.

The mechanism is multi-factorial. Manipulation of the upper cervical spine reduces afferent input from the facet joints and surrounding musculature to the trigeminal nucleus caudalis — the brainstem relay that processes head and face pain. It also reduces muscle tone and inflammatory markers in the cervical tissues that perpetuate headache cycles.

A nuance worth noting: while chiropractic is effective for cervicogenic and tension-type headaches, migraine involves additional central sensitisation mechanisms. In migraine sufferers, chiropractic often reduces headache frequency and may reduce medication dependency — but it works best as part of a broader approach that includes trigger management and, where appropriate, medical review.

Beyond Treatment: Breaking the Headache Pattern

Recurring headaches rarely have a single cause. While upper cervical dysfunction is often the primary driver, headache patterns are typically maintained by a combination of structural, lifestyle and environmental triggers. Effective long-term management requires identifying and addressing all of them.

At your first appointment, we take a detailed headache history: how often, how long, what time of day, what reliably triggers them, what relieves them, and how they have changed over time. This history is as important as the physical examination in directing treatment.

Common contributors we assess for include: sleep posture (particularly forward head position during sleep), sustained screen posture, jaw clenching and bruxism, caffeine dependency, dehydration patterns, and hormonal cycles. Many of these are modifiable — and addressing them alongside manual treatment produces significantly better outcomes than treatment alone.

Patients dealing with recurring headaches travel to us from Barbican, Old Street, Clerkenwell and Moorgate for this more thorough approach. Call 07903 579600 to book.