Headaches, Neck Pain, and Holiday Stress: What’s the Connection?
You’ve had a long day preparing for the upcoming holidays–unpacking decorations, planning a big holiday dinner with your siblings, and trying to squeeze in some early shopping. By mid-afternoon, you noticed pain in the side of your neck. By the time you’re driving home from the crowded grocery store, it’s gotten worse–and you have a throbbing headache to go along with it.
Sound familiar? Headaches are some of the most common medical complaints in the world, and almost everyone has experienced one at some point in their life. There are also over 150 different types of headaches, all with a variety of triggers and causes.
However, some of the most common headaches stem from musculoskeletal issues, like muscle restriction or radiating neck pain–which can then be exacerbated by stress. Fortunately, physical therapy at Schultz Physical Therapy offers several solutions to help you find lasting relief.
Today, we want to explore the connection between neck pain, headaches, and holiday stress and share how we can help you resolve your discomfort. Want to learn more? Call our clinic to set up an appointment.
Neck Pain and Headaches: More Closely Related Than You Might Think!
Headaches and neck pain often go hand in hand. In fact, there’s a specific term for neck-related headaches: cervicogenic headaches.
These headaches develop due to tension or strain in your neck’s soft tissues and joints, which can put pressure on nearby nerves. You might experience pain or stiffness in your neck itself, but sometimes, the pain radiates into your head.
What Do Cervicogenic Headaches Feel Like?
The pain typically starts in the neck or at the base of the skull and radiates to the back of the head, temples, or behind the eyes. You might also experience neck-related symptoms, such as pain or tenderness in the neck or shoulders and limited mobility in your neck, or notice that the pain intensifies with certain movements or prolonged positions, like sitting at a desk for extended periods.
What Causes Cervicogenic Headaches?
- Poor posture
- Repetitive movements
- Whiplash or other neck injuries
- Arthritis in the cervical spine
- Muscle tension in the upper neck and shoulder
What About Holiday Stress?
Stress doesn’t directly cause neck pain or headaches–but it can contribute to it. When you’re stressed, your body responds by tensing up your muscles. If the muscles in your upper back, shoulders, and neck are already strained due to poor posture or other factors, that stress can compound the problem.
The holidays can also contribute to headaches and neck pain because you may be performing movements you don’t usually do–such as dragging around heavy boxes of decorations, stretching to hang lights, or baking in the kitchen. The combination of unfamiliar movements and high stress could lead to muscle tension and pain.
Addressing Holiday-Related Discomfort with Physical Therapy
If you’re experiencing persistent neck pain or headaches, schedule an appointment with Schultz Physical Therapy for a comprehensive assessment. Our physical therapists will take a health history, discuss your symptoms, and perform a detailed physical evaluation to help us understand the root cause of your discomfort.
From there, we’ll create a personalized treatment program that meets your needs. When addressing neck pain and cervicogenic headaches, we often blend the following:
- Hands-on manual therapy techniques to improve mobility and boost blood flow to the area
- Dry needling to help reduce pain and muscle tension
- Targeted exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles in your neck, shoulders, and upper back
- Postural corrections to address any misalignments in your spine
- Activity modifications to help you avoid any movements that might contribute to your pain
We Can Also Help with Holiday Stress Management
Many treatment techniques we use to address neck pain and headaches–including exercise and manual therapy–can also help lower stress. However, if stress is really making your pain unbearable, our team will work with you to identify stress management techniques you can perform on your own.
For example, we can show you simple deep breathing exercises or self-massage techniques you can practice throughout the holiday season if things feel too intense. We can also help you develop a general exercise routine t
Find Relief Now – Schedule Your Free Consultation!
Don’t let the holiday season be a pain in the neck! Call Schultz Physical Therapy to set up your initial assessment today. Our team of physical therapists will help you find the right treatment methods for your needs!
Have You Met Your Annual Deductible?
Take charge of your health today and make the most of your insurance benefits! If you’ve already met your deductible this year or have funds left in your HSA account, you can take advantage of our remarkable opportunity at Schultz Physical Therapy. Starting now and continuing until the end of 2024, you can address your aches and pains at little to no cost. Don’t let these valuable benefits go unused!
But that’s not all. If you’re looking to enhance your strength and set yourself up for a fantastic 2025, we’ve got you covered. Our exceptional team of experienced physical therapists is here to provide you with specialized treatment services tailored to help you achieve your goals. With our guidance and expertise, you can get a head start on the upcoming year before your deductible renews.
Don’t miss out on this incredible chance to prioritize your well-being and maximize your insurance benefits! Call Schultz Physical Therapy today to start living a happier, healthier life.
Congratulations Corner
Welcome to the World, Baby Hallie!
We’re thrilled to announce a new addition to the Schultz PT family! Leigha Dillar, our wonderful Patient Care Coordinator at the Bogalusa location, welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Hallie, on October 26. Weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long, baby Hallie is already stealing hearts with her sweet presence.
Leigha has been an invaluable part of our team, always bringing warmth, dedication, and care to her work with patients and staff alike. We know that these qualities will make her an incredible mom, too! Both Leigha and Hallie are doing well, and we couldn’t be happier for her family as they start this exciting new chapter.
Please join us in congratulating Leigha and welcoming baby Hallie to the world! We look forward to hearing about all of her adventures as she grows. Congratulations, Leigha!
3 Health Tips for the Holiday Season
How busy are you this holiday season? At Schultz Physical Therapy we understand that this time can be both joyful and hectic. In the midst of it all, it can feel easy to let your health slip through the cracks.
Are you concerned about maintaining your health this winter, but are feeling overwhelmed or don’t know where to start? If so, check out these 3 tips for staying fit during the holidays.
Gratitude and health
Feeling thankful can improve your health in both direct and indirect ways. Some research shows that the experience of gratitude can induce a sense of relaxation, improve the immune system, and decrease blood pressure. But grateful people also tend to cultivate better health habits, like eating more nutritious food, exercising, and avoiding risky behaviors. In addition, the optimism that stems from gratitude can create a healing attitude: research shows that people with optimistic attitudes have better outcomes after medical procedures.
Gratitude and joy
Robert Emmons, an internationally renowned scientific expert on gratitude, has found that acknowledging the good in life has a tendency to amplify positive emotions, such as joy and contentment, because it helps us slow down. “I think gratitude allows us to participate more in life,” he says. “We notice the positives more, and that magnifies the pleasures you get from life.” Consider the last time you had a good cup of coffee—did you pay attention to the warmth of the cup on your hands, or the feeling of pleasure as you took the first sip? It’s easy to ignore these small moments of positivity in our day as we rush from one activity to another, but stopping to appreciate them makes them more powerful.
Gratitude and resilience
Practicing gratitude can also make you better equipped to handle the difficulties of life that inevitably arise. In fact, according to Emmons, it’s an essential part of the process of healing from trauma. Even despair can be mitigated by the experience of appreciation for the good, however slight it might be. Thankfulness for the small blessings helps you maintain your humanity despite experiencing a tragedy or loss. Many people with life-threatening illnesses also report decreased distress and increased positive emotions when they practice gratitude.
Recent MRI studies have mapped the gratitude circuitry in the brain, which activates a sense of reward, fairness, and decision-making—all aspects that help facilitate survival and post-traumatic growth.
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