Headaches: Causes, Types, and How Physiotherapy Can Help

Headaches are extremely common, but that doesn’t mean you should simply accept them as a normal part of everyday life.

If you regularly experience headaches after a long day at your desk, pressure behind your eyes, pain that begins at the base of your neck and travels toward your head, or headaches associated with jaw tension, there may be physical factors contributing to your symptoms.

At CareWell Health Group in Guelph, we commonly see patients with cervicogenic headaches, migraines, TMJ-related headaches, and postural headaches. Through a detailed physiotherapy assessment, we look beyond the location of your headache to understand what may be contributing to it.

Depending on the type and cause of your headache, physiotherapy may help reduce symptoms, improve movement, and make it easier to get through your day without constantly worrying about when your next headache will start.

What Is a Headache?

A headache is pain or discomfort occurring in the head, scalp, or upper neck. Headaches can feel very different from one person to another.

You may experience:

• Pressure or tightness around your head

• Pain behind the eyes

• Pain around the temples or forehead

• Pain beginning in the neck and travelling toward the head

• Throbbing or pulsating pain

• Neck stiffness

• Jaw tension or pain

• Sensitivity to light or sound

• Nausea

• Headaches that become worse during or after certain activities

There are many different types and causes of headaches. Understanding the pattern of your symptoms is an important first step toward determining the appropriate treatment.

Common Types of Headaches We See in Physiotherapy

1. Cervicogenic Headaches

Cervicogenic headaches are headaches associated with structures in the neck.

Pain may begin around the base of the skull or upper neck and travel upward toward the back of the head, temples, forehead, or behind the eye.

Neck stiffness, restricted movement, muscle tension, and irritation of structures in the upper cervical region can contribute to these headaches.

Patients may notice that their symptoms are aggravated by prolonged sitting, certain neck positions, or activities that place increased demands on the neck.

At CareWell, we frequently assess patients who describe their headache as starting around the neck and gradually travelling upward.

 

2. Postural Headaches

Have you ever reached the end of a long workday and realized that you’ve developed a headache?

Your posture and work environment may be contributing factors.

Long periods of sitting at a computer can place sustained demands on the neck, shoulders, and upper back. If you maintain the same position for hours without regular movement breaks, muscles can become fatigued and tense.

Some people may develop headaches accompanied by:

• Neck and shoulder tightness

• Upper-back stiffness

• Pressure behind the eyes

• Headaches toward the end of a work shift

• Discomfort after prolonged computer use

This doesn’t necessarily mean that “bad posture” is the sole cause of your headache. Rather, your overall work habits, movement patterns, muscle endurance, workstation setup, and the amount of time spent in one position may all be relevant.

 

3. TMJ-Related Headaches

Your jaw and head are more closely connected than many people realize.

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects your jaw to your skull. Problems involving the jaw joint, chewing muscles, clenching, grinding, or altered jaw movement can sometimes contribute to pain around the temples, forehead, face, or head.

Patients with TMJ-related headaches may also experience:

• Jaw pain or stiffness

• Clicking or popping

• Difficulty opening the mouth

• Facial muscle tension

• Teeth grinding or clenching

• Ear-area discomfort

• Headaches around the temples

When appropriate, physiotherapy can address the muscles and joints involved in jaw and neck movement.

 

4. Migraines

Migraines are more than simply a bad headache.

They can involve moderate to severe head pain and may be accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, and other neurological symptoms.

Physiotherapy does not treat every aspect or cause of migraine, and medical management may be an important part of care. However, for some individuals, musculoskeletal factors such as neck pain, muscle tension, movement sensitivity, or physical triggers may contribute to their overall symptoms.

A thorough assessment can help determine whether physiotherapy may have a role in your management plan.

 

What Can Cause or Contribute to Headaches?

Headaches can have many different causes and triggers. Some common contributors include:

• Neck stiffness or restricted movement

• Muscle tension

• Prolonged sitting

• Sustained computer or desk work

• Poorly managed workstation ergonomics

• Jaw clenching or grinding

• Stress and muscle tension

• Sleep disruption

• Dehydration

• Certain foods or environmental triggers

• Hormonal changes

• Migraine-related factors

Importantly, the cause isn’t always obvious.

For example, some patients may have been told that their recurring headaches are simply hormonal and that they need to rely on medication to control them. While hormonal changes can certainly play a role in some headaches, that explanation doesn’t necessarily rule out other contributing factors.

At CareWell, our approach is to assess the individual rather than assume that every headache has the same cause.

 

Is It Normal to Have Headaches Every Day?

No—you don’t have to simply accept recurring headaches as your normal.

Having an occasional headache is different from regularly experiencing headaches that interfere with your work, sleep, exercise, family life, or ability to enjoy your day.

If headaches are happening frequently, becoming more severe, or affecting your quality of life, it is worth discussing them with an appropriate healthcare professional.

Depending on the presentation, physiotherapy may be one part of a broader treatment plan.

 

How Can Physiotherapy Help With Headaches?

Physiotherapy for headaches starts with understanding why your symptoms may be occurring.

At CareWell Health Group, we don’t simply treat the area where you feel pain. We assess the surrounding structures and movement patterns that may be contributing to your symptoms.

 

1. Detailed Physiotherapy Assessment

Your assessment may include:

• Neck range of motion

• Postural assessment

• Muscle strength and endurance

• Neck and upper-back muscle tension

• Cervical joint mobility

• Movement patterns

• Neurological screening when appropriate

• Jaw and TMJ assessment

• Headache triggers and patterns

• Workstation and ergonomic factors

Understanding when your headaches occur and what makes them better or worse can provide important clues.

For example, a patient who consistently develops pressure behind the eyes after several hours of desk work may require a different approach from someone whose headaches are associated primarily with jaw clenching.

 

2. Manual Therapy

Depending on your assessment findings, physiotherapy treatment may include manual therapy to the neck, upper back, and surrounding muscles.

This can include:

• Soft-tissue techniques

• Joint mobilization

• Muscle release

• Stretching

• Treatment of areas of increased tension

The goal is not simply to provide temporary relief. Manual therapy can be combined with targeted exercises and movement strategies to address contributing factors.

 

3. Therapeutic Exercise

Exercise can be an important part of long-term headache management.

Your physiotherapist may prescribe exercises targeting:

• Deep neck muscles

• Neck strength and endurance

• Shoulder and upper-back muscles

• Postural control

• Mobility

• Movement coordination

The exercises are selected based on your individual assessment rather than using a one-size-fits-all program.

 

4. Postural and Ergonomic Education

If your headaches regularly appear after a long day at your desk, we may look at how you work—not simply tell you to “sit up straight.”

We can discuss factors such as:

• Desk and monitor setup

• Sitting habits

• Movement breaks

• Screen positioning

• Neck and shoulder positioning

• Strategies for changing positions throughout the day

The goal is to make your work environment and daily routine more supportive of your recovery.

 

5. TMJ and Jaw Treatment

For patients whose headaches are associated with jaw dysfunction, physiotherapy may include assessment and treatment of the TMJ, jaw muscles, and surrounding neck structures.

We may also provide education about habits such as clenching and strategies to reduce unnecessary jaw tension.

 

Why Does the Headache Keep Coming Back?

One reason headaches can become recurring is that the underlying contributing factors have not been addressed.

For example, imagine someone who spends eight hours a day at a desk. They take medication whenever their headache appears, and the pain eventually settles. The next day, they return to the same workstation, spend another eight hours in similar positions, and the headache returns.

Medication may be helpful for appropriate headache conditions, but if there are modifiable physical contributors, addressing those factors may also be important.

This is why our approach at CareWell focuses on assessment, education, hands-on treatment, and individualized exercise rather than simply chasing the headache whenever it appears.

 

A Different Explanation Can Sometimes Change the Treatment Approach

We sometimes meet patients who have lived with headaches for years after being told that their symptoms are hormonal or that they simply need medication to control them.

In some cases, a physiotherapy assessment identifies significant postural, neck, or TMJ-related factors that may be contributing to their symptoms.

This doesn’t mean that hormonal factors or other medical causes aren’t real. It means that headaches can have multiple contributing factors, and identifying the ones that can be addressed through physiotherapy may open up additional treatment options.

 

Our Approach at CareWell Health Group

At CareWell Health Group in Guelph, our physiotherapists take a comprehensive approach to headache management.

We look at the neck, upper back, posture, movement, muscles, and jaw, while considering the specific pattern of your headaches.

Our treatment may combine:

• Manual therapy

• Soft-tissue techniques

• Joint mobilization

• Therapeutic exercise

• Postural education

• Ergonomic advice

• Neck and upper-back strengthening

• TMJ treatment

• Mobility exercises

• Individualized home exercises

Most importantly, treatment is tailored to you.

 

You Don’t Have to Just Live With Your Headaches

If headaches have become something you simply expect at the end of every workday, it may be time to look at the bigger picture.

Whether your headaches are related to your neck, posture, jaw, or other factors, a proper assessment can help identify potential contributors and determine whether physiotherapy may be appropriate for you.

At CareWell Health Group, we provide one-on-one physiotherapy care in Guelph to help patients understand their symptoms and work toward getting back to their normal routines.

If you’re looking for physiotherapy for headaches in Guelph, contact CareWell Health Group to book an assessment and find out whether physiotherapy may be right for you.  Book your appointment today and start your recovery journey

 

When Should You Seek Medical Attention?

Most headaches are not caused by a serious medical condition. However, some headache symptoms require prompt medical evaluation.

Seek urgent medical attention for a sudden, severe headache unlike anything you’ve experienced before, or a headache accompanied by symptoms such as new weakness or numbness, confusion, fainting, difficulty speaking, significant vision changes, seizure, high fever with neck stiffness, or other sudden neurological symptoms.

If your headache pattern is new, changing, progressively worsening, or unusually severe, speak with your physician or another appropriate healthcare professional.