logo
Find My Cause

WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE US

| 18 years clinical experience | 5-star Google reviews | Diagnostic first session | Free parking on site | Sessions available this week |

Why You Get Headaches

Like all pain, headaches are generated by your brain. They are not simply transmitted from a painful area to your brain. Your brain creates the headache experience based on the information it receives and its assessment of whether protection or warning is needed.

Multiple systems can contribute to headache generation. Your neck provides dense proprioceptive input to your brain, and neck receptor dysfunction is involved in many headache types. Your visual system processes enormous amounts of information, and visual dysfunction can trigger headaches. Your vestibular system tells your brain about head position and movement, and vestibular dysfunction contributes to many headache presentations.

When these systems provide unclear or conflicting information, your brain may respond by creating a headache. The headache is not arbitrary. It is a signal that something in your nervous system is not functioning optimally.

Understanding this opens up new treatment possibilities. Rather than just managing headache symptoms with medication, we can identify which neurological inputs are driving the headaches and address them.

Learn how Functional Neurology works →

Types of Headaches We Treat

  • Tension-Type Headaches

The most common headache type, often described as a band around the head or pressure. Despite the name, these are not simply caused by muscle tension. They involve complex neurological factors that we assess and address.

  • Cervicogenic Headaches

Headaches originating from the neck. The upper cervical spine and its connections to the head are rich in receptors. Dysfunction here can refer pain into the head, temples, forehead and around the eyes.

Learn about neck pain treatment →
  • Migraines

Intense headaches often with visual disturbances, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. While migraines involve complex brain chemistry, the triggers often include neurological inputs that can be identified and modified.

  • Headaches With Visual Symptoms

Headaches associated with visual disturbances, whether part of migraine aura or occurring independently. We test visual function comprehensively in these cases.

  • Headaches With Neck Involvement

Many headaches include neck symptoms like stiffness, pain or restricted movement. The neck and head are deeply connected neurologically.

  • Chronic Daily Headache

Headaches occurring most days, often for months or years. This indicates persistent neurological dysfunction that has not been identified or addressed.

Learn about chronic pain treatment →

The Neck-Eye-Vestibular Triangle

Your neck, eyes and vestibular system form an interconnected triangle that is often central to headache conditions.

Your neck contains more proprioceptive receptors than almost any other part of your body. These receptors tell your brain exactly where your head is positioned. When neck receptors malfunction, your brain receives unclear information about head position.

Your eyes are intimately connected to neck function. Eye movements and neck movements are coupled. Visual processing problems can create neck tension, and neck dysfunction can affect visual function.

Your vestibular system works together with your visual and neck systems to create your sense of position and movement in space. Vestibular dysfunction can manifest as headaches, particularly those associated with movement, busy environments or visual complexity.

When there is conflict between these three systems, when they provide information that does not match, your brain may respond with headache. This is why headache treatment that addresses only one system often fails. All three need to be assessed.

Our Approach to Headaches and Migraines

We assess the neck, visual and vestibular systems where relevant to your history and symptoms. This may include upper-cervical sensory findings, eye-movement control, convergence, tracking, balance and the way these systems work together.

We also consider potential contributors such as jaw function, previous head or neck injuries, scars, sleep, stress, workload and medical factors. When assessment findings appear relevant, we use P-DTR or other appropriate functional-neurology inputs and immediately retest movement, comfort or sensory-motor function.

The aim is to identify and work through relevant layers rather than assume every headache has the same cause. Some people experience meaningful early change; responses vary, and persistent, severe or changing headaches may require medical investigation or shared care.

Learn about P-DTR →

Common Drivers We Identify

  • Upper cervical receptor dysfunction causing referred head pain
  • Eye movement control problems creating visual strain
  • Convergence insufficiency from prolonged near work
  • Vestibular dysfunction creating sensory conflict
  • Neck-eye coordination problems
  • Old whiplash injuries affecting multiple systems
  • Jaw dysfunction referring into the head
  • Scar tissue disrupting local receptor function

Is This You

  • You have headaches regularly despite trying various treatments
  • Medication helps temporarily but headaches keep returning
  • Your headaches involve your neck, with stiffness, pain or restricted movement
  • You notice visual symptoms like sensitivity to light, aura or difficulty focusing
  • Busy environments, screens or complex visual scenes trigger or worsen headaches
  • Movement, particularly head movement, is associated with your headaches
  • You have had head, neck or face injuries in the past
  • You have learned to live with headaches because nothing has resolved them

If any of this applies, your headaches likely have neurological drivers that can be identified and addressed.

Book your Diagnostic First Session →

The Breakthrough Method for Headaches

A comprehensive approach addressing all the neurological factors that contribute to headaches.

Step 1

Find the Unclear Signal

We test neck receptor function, visual processing and vestibular function. We identify dysfunction in all the systems that can contribute to headache generation.

Step 2

Reset the Protective Response

Using P-DTR and other appropriate functional-neurology inputs, we address findings that appear clinically relevant and immediately retest them. The most important factor may involve the neck, visual or vestibular system, the jaw, a previous injury or another part of the wider pattern.

Step 3

Prove the Change

We compare relevant findings before and after each input. Some people notice immediate changes in movement, visual comfort, balance, neck function or symptoms; the size and duration of the response varies. You leave with a clearer explanation of what was found and the next steps recommended for you.

Result:
The assessment is designed to identify clinically relevant contributors and provide a practical plan. Some clients experience substantial improvement early; changes in headache frequency, intensity and function vary between individuals.

VERIFIED GOOGLE REVIEWS

What Clients Say

“Following treatment with Sam, the things I was doing to help actually started to work. Stretching no longer aggravated pain.”

– Michael Holland, Google review

“As movement improved through my ankles, knees and hips, my back pain reduced significantly.”

– Paul Hayes, Google review

“The results were evident within a short period of 5 sessions. My pain level, range of motion, and running ability significantly improved.”

– Matthew Howell, Google review

Tried Treatment for Your Headaches Without Success?

Medication, physiotherapy, chiropractic care and massage can each be helpful, depending on the person and the type of headache. Some people nevertheless experience only partial or temporary improvement when relevant neck, visual, vestibular, jaw or sensory-motor factors have not been assessed.

A functional-neurology assessment does not replace appropriate medical care. It adds a brain-based examination of how these systems are functioning and interacting, followed by targeted treatment and immediate retesting where appropriate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes my migraines or headaches?

Common neurological drivers include eye-tracking strain, vestibular mismatch, breathing mechanics and neck/jaw inputs. Immune stress can also keep sensitivity high. We test each area and show which one changes your symptoms.

Many people feel a difference in their first session because we immediately re-test the movement or situation that hurt. Complex cases take longer with steady progress.

No. Most plans use 1-3 short drills that take seconds. Their job is to hold the change your treatment created, not exhaust you. These are done between your first session, and follow up and typically most clients do them for 1 week. 

Yes. We progress gently within your tolerance and stop if anything is uncomfortable. If we see red flags, we refer you to the right service.

We change the inputs your brain uses to decide whether to create pain, eyes, inner ear, cranial nerves and pain receptors. When the inputs are better, protection eases and movement feels normal again.

Ready to Find Out What Is Driving Your Headaches

If headaches or migraines keep returning, or previous treatment has only helped temporarily, a broader assessment may identify relevant factors that have not yet been considered. Book a £100, 60-minute Diagnostic First Session for a detailed neurological and movement assessment, treatment and immediate retesting where appropriate. You will also receive a written report within 24 hours and an included 30–40 minute Zoom findings call. Based in Shiremoor near Newcastle, with free parking on site.

Book Your Diagnostic First Session
Breakthrough Pain & Performance

Still In Pain After Treatment?
There's A Reason It Keeps Coming Back.

Tell us what's going on and we'll send you the information that's actually relevant to your situation.

Already decided? Book your diagnostic first session →