Headache & Migraine Treatment — Chiropractor in Elephant & Castle, SE17
A significant proportion of chronic headaches are cervicogenic — originating from the upper neck and surrounding muscles. These headaches are structural in origin and often caused by easily treatable causes.
Are Your Headaches Coming From Your Neck?
The upper three cervical segments — C1, C2, and C3 — share a neurological pathway with the trigeminal nerve, which supplies sensation to the head and face.
When these segments are restricted or irritated, they can refer pain directly into the head, producing headaches that feel identical to tension or migraine headaches.
This is a cervicogenic headache. It is one of the most commonly misidentified pain patterns in clinical practice.
Signs that your headaches may be cervicogenic:
— Headaches that start at the base of the skull and spread forward
— Neck stiffness or restricted movement accompanying the headache
— Headaches that worsen with sustained desk or screen posture
— Headaches that occur on one side consistently
— Headaches that increase after long periods of sitting or driving
— Relief from pressure applied to the base of the skull
— History of whiplash or previous neck injury
How MotionFix Treats Cervicogenic Headaches
Owain will assess your upper cervical mechanics in detail — identifying which segments are restricted, what is loading the trigeminal pathway,
and whether your headache pattern is structural in origin. If it is — and for the majority of chronic headache patients it is — the treatment protocol addresses the root cause directly.
Treatment may include:
— Upper cervical adjustment at C1, C2, C3
— Sub-occipital release — soft tissue work at the base of the skull
— Thoracic adjustment to address postural load on the cervical spine
— Medical dry needling for upper trapezius and cervical trigger points
— Postural correction to reduce the ongoing mechanical load driving the headache pattern
Headache Types
We Treat
— Cervicogenic headaches — structurally driven from the upper cervical spine
— Tension headaches with associated neck restriction
— Occipital neuralgia — pain at the base of the skull and back of the head
— Headaches related to forward head posture and tech neck
— Post-whiplash headaches
— Migraines with cervical trigger patterns
Note: MotionFix does not treat vascular migraine as a primary chiropractic
condition. Where headaches are suspected to be vascular, hormonal, or neurological in origin, Owain will advise on appropriate referral.
Headache FAQs
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For headaches that are cervicogenic — driven by restriction in the upper
cervical spine — chiropractic is highly effective. Clinical evidence supports
upper cervical adjustment as a first-line intervention for cervicogenic
headache. For patients who have been managing with pain relief without
resolution, structural assessment is a logical next step.
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The most reliable indicator is the presence of neck stiffness or restricted
movement alongside the headache. A structural assessment at MotionFix will
determine whether your upper cervical mechanics are contributing to your
headache pattern within the first consultation.
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Yes. MotionFix is at 64 Larcom Street, Elephant & Castle, SE17 — accessible
from Kennington, Borough, Southwark, and across South London.
Book Your Headache Assessment in London SE17
60 minutes · Upper cervical structural assessment · First treatment
included · £95 · Same-week appointments available.