{"id":3919,"date":"2026-04-15T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/?p=3919"},"modified":"2026-11-12T23:23:01","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T21:23:01","slug":"tension-headache","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2026\/04\/back-and-spine\/tension-headache\/","title":{"rendered":"Tension headaches and your neck: how physiotherapy can help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tension-type headache<\/strong> is the most common kind of headache. It is often described as a band tightening around the head or a weight at the back of the neck, and it frequently appears at the end of a day at the screen. Another type, <strong>cervicogenic headache<\/strong>, comes directly from structures in the neck. In both cases physiotherapy can be a great help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to recognise a tension headache<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A pressing, band-like pain on both sides of the head.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Mild to moderate intensity that does not usually worsen with physical activity.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>May come with tension and pain in the neck and shoulders.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Does not usually cause nausea or vomiting, unlike migraine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And cervicogenic headache<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pain that starts at the back of the neck and spreads towards the forehead or eye, usually on one side.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Worse with certain neck movements or sustained postures.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Comes with neck stiffness and reduced mobility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why they happen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sustained postures at the computer or on the phone. We explain this in our article on <a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2026\/05\/physiotherapy\/tech-neck\/\">tech neck<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Stress and emotional tension.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Lack of sleep or poor-quality rest.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Low physical activity and weak neck and upper back muscles.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Bruxism or clenching your teeth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How physiotherapy helps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Assessment<\/strong> of the neck, jaw and posture to identify the factors that keep the pain going.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Manual therapy<\/strong> for the cervical spine and the neck and shoulder muscles.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Exercise therapy:<\/strong> strengthening the deep neck and shoulder blade muscles, which has been shown to reduce how often episodes occur.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Education and advice<\/strong> on active breaks, ergonomics and stress management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you also have frequent neck pain, we recommend our article on <a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2025\/09\/physiotherapy\/neck-pain-origins-and-prevention\/\">neck pain<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Simple everyday exercises<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Chin tuck:<\/strong> sitting upright, draw your chin back as if making a double chin, hold for 5 seconds and release. 10 repetitions.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Shoulder rolls:<\/strong> slow backward circles, 10 repetitions.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Upper trapezius stretch:<\/strong> tilt your head to one side and hold for 20 to 30 seconds without forcing.<\/li>\n\n\n<li><strong>Diaphragmatic breathing<\/strong> for two or three minutes to reduce tension.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to see a doctor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See a doctor if the headache is sudden and very severe, comes with fever, a stiff neck, changes in vision or speech or weakness, or is clearly different from your usual headaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Physiotherapy for headaches in Gines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you have frequent headaches linked to your neck or tension, an assessment lets us find the factors that keep them going and reduce how often they happen. At <a href=\"\/en\/\">Therape\u00eda Fisioterapia<\/a> we see patients at Avenida de Europa 3G in Gines (Seville), just minutes from Bormujos, Espartinas, Castilleja de la Cuesta, Valencina and the rest of the Aljarafe area. After a full assessment we design a <a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/services\/physiotherapy\/\">neck physiotherapy<\/a> plan tailored to you. You can meet <a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/team\/\">our physiotherapy team<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/contact\/\">book an appointment<\/a> by calling <a href=\"tel:+34624244420\">+34 624 244 420<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information from a reliable source, see MedlinePlus, the U.S. National Library of Medicine health encyclopedia, on <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/000797.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tension headache<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions about tension headaches<\/h2>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-3919-0\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can physiotherapy help with headaches?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes, especially for tension-type and cervicogenic headaches. Manual therapy and exercise reduce how often episodes occur and how intense they are.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3919-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the difference between migraine and tension headache?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Migraine is usually throbbing, one-sided, worse with activity and may cause nausea or light sensitivity. Tension headache is pressing, on both sides and milder.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3919-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can stress cause headaches?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes. Stress increases muscle tension and pain sensitivity, and it is one of the most common triggers of tension headache.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep reading on our blog<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2025\/09\/physiotherapy\/neck-pain-origins-and-prevention\/\">Neck pain: know its origins and how to prevent it<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2026\/05\/physiotherapy\/tech-neck\/\">Tech neck: how remote work affects your neck and how to fix it<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/2025\/06\/physiotherapy\/massage-therapy\/\">Massage therapy: a manual technique to relieve ailments<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many headaches are linked to tension in the neck and shoulders. We explain how to tell them apart and what you can do to ease them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,64],"tags":[93,69],"class_list":["post-3919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-back-and-spine","category-physiotherapy","tag-neck-pain","tag-posture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3919"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4320,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919\/revisions\/4320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapeiafisioterapia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}