Headache and Back Pain

Yes, there is a clear link between lower back pain and headache, according to a study in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

The study, published this past July, reviewed 14 previous studies and found that if you have a headache condition, you’re probably twice as likely to have lower back pain. And if you have lower back pain, you’re probably about twice as likely to suffer from headache.

This study seems to show a connection, but we’re not sure what the connection is. One of the study’s authors, Professor Martin Underwood, explains:

There may be something in the relationship between how people react to the pain, making some people more sensitive to both the physical causes of the headache, particularly migraine, and the physical causes in the back, and how the body reacts to that and how you become disabled by it. There may also be more fundamental ways in how the brain interprets pain signals, so the same amount of input into the brain may be felt differently by different people.
It suggests the possibility of an underpinning biological relationship, at least in some people with headache and back pain, that could also be a target for treatment.

Martin Underwood, Warwick Medical School [source]

You can see that Underwood specifically highlighted the connection between lower back pain and migraine. As the study authors noted, both migraine and lower back pain have recently been listed in the top 5 culprits for “years lived with disability”. That means that these two conditions are on the “most-wanted” list when it comes to disability in your community.

Further studies may help us understand the connection between the two conditions, although the authors discussed some possible directions for research in the study.

But for now, it’s important for doctors and patients to be aware of the connection, and to treat both conditions together when possible. Lessening the symptoms of one may lessen the symptoms of the other.

Specifically, if you’re concentrating on migraine or another headache condition, and you’re just “living with” back pain, you’re probably not doing yourself a favour. This study is another reminder that we need to be aware of our symptoms, and treat the “whole person”, not just the “headache”.

For more information:

• The association between headache and low back pain: a systematic review (full study)
• Persistent headache or back pain ‘twice as likely’ in the presence of the other (University of Warwick)
• Headache and back pain often go hand in hand