We have discussed this in our previous headache blog, but let’s go through it again briefly. We can see that with headaches, there is confusion and sensitivity in the brainstem, specifically the Trigeminocervical Nucleus (TCN). An easy way to look at it is there are two traffic lines going to the same destination (TCN). The first traffic line are the upper cervical segments (C0-3) and the second traffic line are the nerves of the head (V1-V3).
Okay, I’m going to use another analogy to explain this next problem. Now imagine, you’re at a café with 2 friends and they’re both speaking to you at the same time and about two different subjects.
“Wait, did you say that or did you say that?”
You get confused as to who said what. The same thing occurs with the TCN. The TCN receives painful information from the neck and perceives it as pain in the head (headaches).
So what we (physio and you) need to do is 2 things!
1. Improve the function of the joints within the upper cervical spine
2. Desensitise the brainstem
When you improve the first thing, you’re automatically improving the second as well.
So why would you spend another day in pain? Get in touch to find out more.
