If you get a band-like pressure around your head by mid-afternoon, especially after a long day at a screen — there's a strong chance it's not actually a headache problem. It's a neck problem that's referring into your head. Physio can fix it.
Tension headache vs. cervicogenic headache
Tension-type headaches are typically bilateral, band-like, dull, and tied to stress or sustained postures. Cervicogenic headaches start in the neck and refer into the head — often one-sided, worse with certain neck movements. Both respond well to physio, but the assessment matters.
The usual culprits
- Upper traps in chronic spasm from sustained head-forward posture
- Suboccipital muscles at the base of the skull, irritated by neck-flexion postures (looking at phones, screens)
- Jaw tension — clenching at night or under stress can refer into the temples
- Mid-back stiffness forcing the neck to compensate
How physio actually resolves them
Hands-on release of the trigger points and joint restrictions providing immediate relief. Specific strengthening of the deep neck flexors to take load off the upper traps. Postural and ergonomic education. And, where appropriate, dry cupping on the upper traps and posterior neck — genuinely useful for tension-driven pain.
If the headache eases when you finally lie down at night and comes back by lunchtime the next day, it's not a neurological problem. It's a load problem. Physio fixes load problems.
Most patients see meaningful change within 3–4 sessions over 4–6 weeks. More on our neck pain approach.