English
About nine out of ten neck complaints are non specific: no single damaged structure, but overload of the small joints, muscles and ligaments. Screen work, a poor pillow, stress, a sudden movement or a whiplash start a cycle: a joint locks, nerves get irritated, muscles guard, and the pain increases. Sometimes it shoots into the neck overnight; sometimes it builds up over years. Breaking that cycle is what treatment does.
Neck pain and headache treatment in Hilversum
Neck pain and headaches are closely connected. The seven vertebrae of the neck, their discs and facet joints and the many layers of muscle carry the head all day; when a segment stiffens, the muscles tighten and the pain can spread to the shoulders, the arm or the head. MoveWell treats neck pain, tension headaches, migraine with a neck component, and neck related dizziness, with chiropractic care and physiotherapy.
Why the neck hurts
Headaches that start in the neck
Tension type headache is the most common headache: a nagging band from the neck to both sides of the head or the forehead, often with stiff shoulders, lasting hours to days. Posture, stress, fatigue and dehydration are the usual triggers, and restricted joints in the upper neck keep it going.
Migraine is a different condition, with a vascular and genetic component, but stiffness in the upper neck is a known trigger. Many migraine patients notice fewer attacks when the neck moves freely again. We examine which type of headache you have and tell you honestly what treatment can and cannot do.
Complaints we see every day
Stiff neck and neck pain
Limited turning, pain on one side, pain between the shoulder blades. Often from screen work or sleeping position.
Radiating pain into the arm
Pain, tingling or numbness in the shoulder, arm or hand: a pinched nerve root, often from a bulging or herniated disc in the neck.
Dizziness and whiplash
Dizziness from the upper neck, and neck complaints after a collision or fall. Both respond well to careful mobilisation.
How we treat neck pain and headaches
The chiropractor examines the movement of each neck segment, the upper back and the shoulder girdle, tests strength, reflexes and sensation, and looks for the trigger points that refer pain into the head. Treatment combines gentle adjustments or mobilisation of the restricted segments, muscle techniques, and exercises for posture and the deep neck muscles. For pinched nerves we use the decompression table for the neck. Our physiotherapists add dry needling, manual therapy and training where useful. Most patients notice a difference within the first few visits.
Three steps, also for the neck
1. Mobilise
Free the locked segments and relax the guarding muscles, so the pain and the headache frequency drop.
2. Stabilise
Train the deep neck flexors and the shoulder blade muscles that hold the head without strain.
3. Prevent
Workplace, pillow, phone and screen habits: small changes that keep the neck free.
Why MoveWell for neck pain and headaches
Careful techniques
Light, precise adjustments and slow mobilisation, adapted to your age and condition. No force on a painful neck.
Chiropractic and physiotherapy
Joints, muscles and posture treated together, in one plan.
Honest diagnosis
Headache has many causes. If yours needs a doctor or a neurologist, we tell you and refer you.
Our chiropractors
Frequently asked questions about neck pain and headaches
Can a chiropractor help with headaches?
Yes, when the headache has a neck component, which is the case for tension type headache and many migraines. The examination shows whether the upper neck is involved.
Is neck adjustment safe?
Yes, after a proper examination and with the right technique. We screen for risk factors first and use gentle mobilisation whenever that is more appropriate. Serious complications are extremely rare.
My neck pain radiates into my arm. Is that serious?
It means a nerve root is irritated, often by a bulging disc. It usually responds well to treatment, but increasing weakness or numbness is a reason to be seen quickly.
What can I do myself against neck pain from screen work?
Change position every 30 minutes, keep the top of the screen at eye level, keep the phone up instead of your head down, and do the two or three exercises we give you. Small, frequent changes work better than one good chair.
Neck pain and headache care for Hilversum and the Gooi region
MoveWell, Hoge Naarderweg 3E, Hilversum. Patients from Bussum, Laren, Naarden, Huizen, Loosdrecht and Baarn. Move well, feel better!