Anatomy: how it can affect headaches and Migraine (of all types)
Trigeminal Cervical Nucleus
The trigeminal cervical nucleus (TCN) is a merging of trigeminal nerve in the face and nerves from your upper neck, which are known as the C1-3 nerve roots.
A miscommunication between these nerves can occur. Due to this, nerve information that is occurring in the neck can be felt as pain or symptoms in the head or face. And, the opposite can occur, nerve information that is arising in the head and face can be felt as pain or symptoms in the neck.
This is a form of referred pain. Referred pain is when the pain you feel in one part of your body is actually caused by pain or injury to another part of your body.
The TCN can also activate something called the trigeminovascular neuroinflammatory cascade, which is part of what is involved with a migraine attack.
So what does this mean for you?
The muscles, joints, and nerves of your head and neck can be directly influencing and causing some types of headaches, most specifically cervicogenic headaches.
For example, the joints of your upper neck may be stiff and not moving well and are referring pain to the head and/or face, causing a headache.
Additionally, the muscles, joints, and nerves of your head and neck can also be indirectly influencing some types of headache and migraine.
Using the same example, joints in the upper neck not moving well in a person with migraines. The migraine is not caused by referred pain from the joints in the upper neck, but the migraine may be influenced or worsened in intensity or frequency of attacks because the joints are not moving as well as they should.
It is worthwhile to have your neck (cervical spine), upper back (thoracic spine), and jaw (TMJ) evaluated by a qualified physical therapist. This will help determine if there are limitations in the joints, muscles, and nerves of those regions that are directly or indirectly influencing your headaches and/or migraine.