A surprising cause behind the headache and yawning caused by a 'tingling' sensation at the back of the head

Office worker Mr. Kim regularly suffered from headaches and relied on painkillers. One day, he experienced a sharp pain from his neck to the back of his head and had trouble seeing clearly, fearing there might be a problem with his brain. He visited the hospital and was diagnosed with 'cervicogenic headache.'

 

Cervicogenic headache is a condition caused by problems near the cervical spine (neck bones), leading to headaches.

The cervical spine should normally maintain a C-shaped curve, but when it becomes a straight neck, commonly called "turtle neck," the cervical spine straightens into an I-shape, causing the nucleus pulposus between the bones to shift backward and press on the nerves. The muscles and ligaments around the cervical spine also contract, compressing the occipital nerve and worsening headaches.

 

☆Symptoms of cervicogenic headache.

☆Symptoms of cervicogenic headache.

Symptoms mainly appear at the back of the head, the area where the neck and head meet, and just below the ears. Usually, symptoms occur on only one side, either the right or the left. On the side with the headache, eye pain may also occur, along with symptoms such as tinnitus, dizziness, and numbness in the hands and feet. Patients often have tense shoulders, and the range of neck rotation and forward-backward tilting is limited. Even on days when they sleep well, they experience frequent yawning and feel fatigued. Occasionally, the pain extends to the sides of the forehead or the forehead itself.

Cervicogenic headaches only temporarily disappear with painkillers, but the cause remains the same, so they tend to recur easily. If symptoms are continuously alleviated with painkillers without ongoing treatment, it can lead to chronic headaches.

Mackenzie exercise.

If you experience pain in your eyes, ears, jaw, or numbness in your arms or legs, appropriate treatment at a hospital is necessary. If you have a severe headache without any other accompanying symptoms, you may alleviate the symptoms through exercise.

 

The most representative exercise is the McKenzie extension exercise. The goal is to straighten the neck into an "I" shape and then tilt it backward to correct it into a "C" shape. A team led by Professor Jung Sun-geun of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital conducted MRI scans on ten people in their early twenties after performing the McKenzie extension exercise, which involves tilting the head backward. The scans confirmed a noticeable forward movement of the nucleus pulposus. The method of the McKenzie exercise is as follows: while sitting or standing, straighten your back and relax. Pull both shoulder blades together as if pinching them, then tilt the upper back backward. In this position, tilt your head backward and look up at the sky. Maintain this position for 5 seconds. If there is pain when tilting the head backward, only tilt until just before the pain occurs. Patients with a herniated disc where the nucleus pulposus has already escaped between the vertebrae should be cautious, as the McKenzie extension exercise may worsen their symptoms.

Left infrahyoid muscle and upper trapezius./Photo=Clipart Korea

☆Stretching to relax the suboccipital muscles and upper trapezius is also important. According to joint research by the National Rehabilitation Center Rehabilitation Research Institute, Sehan University, and Mokpo Sacred Heart University, patients with cervicogenic headaches exhibit significantly higher tension and stiffness in the suboccipital muscles and upper trapezius compared to those who do not complain of headaches and migraine patients. The suboccipital muscles attach to the occipital bone and help stabilize head position, while the upper trapezius refers to the upper part of the trapezius muscle that runs vertically from the back of the head to below the spine. The suboccipital muscles can be relaxed by placing a massage ball or foam roller behind the neck, pulling the chin inward, and turning the head left and right. For the upper trapezius, gently pressing and holding for 15 seconds on the opposite side of the neck with one arm, and doing this on both sides, is effective.

If pain is not relieved through exercise, you should visit a hospital. At the hospital, treatments such as injection therapy to relax neck muscles and ligaments, medication, or procedures like radiofrequency ablation are performed. If symptoms are severe, nerve block procedures may also be administered.

 

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Once in a while, it's thrilling and makes the back of your neck ache.

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I feel very stressed or when work is difficult

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