Headaches can be complicated and various factors may contribute to them.  These may include allergies, food & nutritional issues, hydration, hormones, sensitivity to light, neurological and other issues.  Severe or recurring headaches may be caused by serious life threatening health problems and you should see your doctor first to rule this out.  Headaches and head and neck pain may also be the result of trigger points and  referred pain from muscles and respond very well to neuromuscular therapy.

Headaches can vary greatly. Some of the muscles that may be involved in headache pain patterns as a result of trigger points are: sternocleidomastoid, the suboccipital muscles, and splenius capitis and cervicis.  Sternocleidomastoid can cause a headache referred pain pattern around the eye, in the forehead or pain in the ear.  Sternocleidomastoid pain referrals are often mistaken for sinus pain.

The referred pain caused by ischemic sub occipital muscles feels more like a tight band around the head by the ears.  Other muscles that can cause headache referred painpatterns are muscles originating in the neck, splenius cervicis and capitis to name a few.  They may cause pain on the top of the head around the eyes and up the back of the neck.

Trapezius although largely a back muscle is a neck muscle as well and is one of the most common muscles to harbor trigger points. The upper trapezius can radiate intense pain behind the ear, over the side of the head to behind the eye.