Change in Headache Symptoms, and Neck Pain

I admit, sometimes I’m not the master of brilliant headlines. But this recent study is interesting and helpful, even if it’s a little hard to describe in a few words.

Researchers and Australia and the Philippines decided to study the changes in migraine and tension-type headache over a period of 6 months. 79 patients were in the study. The question was – how much do symptoms change over the course of a few months, or from one day to another? Are there any factors that we can see that could explain why one condition improves and another does not?

Of the two, migraine was certainly the most volatile from day to day, with the most change. But both conditions saw a lot of change (not surprisingly) over the course of 6 months.

But perhaps the most interesting finding was one factor that predicted whether the patient would be more or less disabled after 6 months.

Before the six months began, patients were checked for “cervical musculoskeletal impairments”. In other words, which patients had neck trouble – a problem with range of motion, dysfunction.

Patients with cervical joint dysfunction were far more likely to be just as disabled at the end of 6 months as they were at the beginning – 6 times more likely.

If this is impeding your improvement, it’s probably time to talk to your doctor and a physiotherapist to see what you can do to improve the situation. It could be that neck problems are triggering a pain cycle and making your headache condition worse.

Neck pain is extremely common in migraine in particular, but it’s often ignored. Paying attention and looking for treatment could make a big difference in your path to health.

More information: Six-Month Changes in Migraine and Non-Migraine Headaches