Why Poor Posture Can Lead to Headaches?

Do you suffer from annoying headaches that feel like they start at the back of your neck and squeeze up the sides of your head or behind your eyes?

You might be quick to blame stress or eye strain,

But the real culprit is often the way you hold your head while using your phone or computer.

As Doctors of Physical Therapy (DPTs),

we can tell you that these headaches aren’t always a brain issue.

They are a posture problem.

The Bowling Ball Effect on Your Neck

Your head weighs about the same as a bowling ball—around 10 to 12 pounds.

When you sit or stand with good posture,

that bowling ball is perfectly balanced on your spine,

and the muscles barely have to work.

However, watch what happens when you adopt Forward Head Posture,

or what everyone calls ‘Tech Neck.’

Every time your head slumps just one inch forward to look at a screen,

The pressure on your neck muscles doubles!

Imagine holding a bowling ball straight up for hours versus holding it out in front of you—

That’s the strain your neck muscles feel all day long.

Why Tension Turns Into Headaches

This constant, heavy strain creates a cycle of pain.

Your neck muscles get exhausted and tight from constantly trying to pull your heavy head back.

This severe tension leads to:

1. Muscle Spasm: The small, deep muscles at the base of your skull get locked up.
2. Joint Stiffness: The tiny joints in your upper neck become compressed and stop moving smoothly.
3. Nerve Irritation: The nerves that run from your tight neck muscles up over your scalp become irritated and inflamed.

This whole process results in those persistent, frustrating headaches.

Since the pain starts in your neck but is felt behind your eye or across your forehead,

it can easily be mistaken for a normal tension headache.

The Physiotherapist’s Simple Fix

Instead of just treating the headache with medicine,

A DPT treats the mechanical cause—your posture.

We don’t just give you a massage; we work to fix the underlying structure.

Our approach includes:

• Gentle Joint Relief: Using specific techniques to help the stiff joints in your neck move easily again.
• Targeted Muscle Work: Releasing the deep, tight muscles at the skull’s base.
• Strengthening: Teaching you simple, precise exercises to activate the weak muscles in your mid-back and neck that are supposed to hold your head upright.

This approach fixes the “bowling ball” problem at the source,

taking the pressure off the nerves and often permanently stopping these painful headaches.

If you are tired of living with headaches that start in your neck,

you need a professional assessment.

For personalized diagnosis and proven, evidence-based treatment in Sargodha,

we highly recommend consulting with Dr. Farjad Afzal,

an experienced Doctor of Physical Therapy currently practicing at Khawaja Arshad Hospital in Satellite Town, Sargodha.

Dr. Farjad can assess your unique postural patterns and design a targeted treatment plan to eliminate your cervicogenic headaches.