Written by Zita Sham, Fairuuz Saleh and Shiv Mohan Banka, Principal Physiotherapists at Phoenix Rehab.Clinically reviewed by Louise Yow, Principal Physiotherapist & Director, AHPC A1300363H.Last reviewed 28 September 2026.

With the pace of life, work, and societal demands moving at breakneck speed, we notice that there is an increasing trend of people reporting and suffering from headaches.

These patients often report two reasons for their headaches:

The mental, emotional and physical stress from the type of lifestyle they have or want to pursue
The nature of work that requires an individual to be in a prolonged static position, working on devices such as computers and smart phones.

NOT ALL HEADACHES ARE MIGRAINES

Sometimes patients naturally call their headache a migraine, but it can be inaccurate because there are a few types of headaches.

We recommend that patients who often suffer from headaches should understand and identify the type of headache that they have, so it will help them to:

identify the specific triggers
be able to sense if there is a headache coming soon
be able to seek appropriate management.

This can help to reduce the intensity and duration of headaches.

The cervicogenic headache is one of the common type of headaches. The good news is that it can be treated with physiotherapy, whereas the main treatment for migraines is medication.

CERVICOGENIC HEADACHE VERSUS MIGRAINE

Migraine refers to a neurovascular disorder with signs of

mostly one-sided (half) throbbing head pain
lasting 4-72 hours and
a group of neurological symptoms including increased sensitivity to light, sound and smell, nausea, and a variety of autonomic, cognitive, emotional and motor disturbances.

Triggers of a migraine attack are frequently associated with a wide variety of internal and external triggers such as

stress
hormonal fluctuations
sleep disturbances
skipping meals
sensory overload.

Cervicogenic headache refers specifically to pain referred from a source in the neck that presents itself higher up, in the head. It is caused by another illness or physical issue, usually due to a neck disorder or lesion.

In the upper neck area there is a region called the trigeminocervical nucleus, which interacts with the sensory fibers from the upper cervical neck.

This allows pain referral between the neck, face and head. This explains why the source of pain from a headache may actually be in the neck.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF CERVICOGENIC HEADACHE

Common signs of people with cervicogenic headache:

Altered neck posture
Restricted cervical range of motion
Upper cervical joint dysfunction assessed by manual examination.

This cervicogenic tension headache can be reproduced or triggered by active and/or passive neck positioning and/or movement, or by pressure applied to the affected regions.

Trigger points (tight and sometimes sensitive knots in muscles) are usually found in the suboccipital, cervical, or shoulder musculature, which can cause headaches when manually or physically stimulated.

PHYSIOTHERAPY TREATMENT FOR CERVICOGENIC HEADACHE

There are a variety of treatments including

nerve blocks
physiotherapy and exercise
Botox injections
medications.

The most common treatment for cervicogenic headache should target the neck, as it is the cause of the pain. Treatment varies from patient to patient.

Physiotherapy interventions depend on the outcomes and conclusions our senior physios in Phoenix Rehab Singapore reach after assessing your pain, work and exercise history, before creating a physio program specific to you.

Physiotherapy and an ongoing exercise regimen often produce the best outcomes, with low recurrence rate of tension headaches. However, we still recommend that patients have medications or anesthetic injections for temporary pain reduction, especially at times when the pains seems very intense.

This will allow you to:

have short term pain relief so you can be still functional, e.g. go to work, participate in life events.
be able to participate effectively with physiotherapy for even more positive long term pain relief.

Physiotherapy treatment involves three main components:

Pain relieving physiotherapy treatments

Manual therapy can be done, such as low-velocity cervical joint mobilization techniques (in which the cervical segment is moved passively with rhythmical movements), and high-velocity cervical manipulation techniques (cracking of the joint in a controlled, clinical and safe manner for the relief of tight joints).

This approach encourages the body to modulate pain levels.

Next, we will always work on soft tissue. Joint manipulations are quick and effective, but short term. Soft tissue treatment, though slower in outcomes, gives medium to long term benefits – hence combining these two treatments is ideal.

Soft tissue release is an essential tool to help relieve tight connective tissues or muscle knots that can be irritating the nerves, causing headache.

Physiotherapy modalities such as

electrical therapy
ultrasound therapy to accelerate soft tissue healing
heat therapy to increase circulation as well as joint and soft tissue flexibility
cold therapy

are also commonly used to complement the hands-on techniques for pain relief and to facilitate recovery.

Reconditioning of muscular imbalances

Reconditioning of muscular imbalance includes low load endurance exercises to train muscle control of the cervicoscapular region.

The first stage consists of specific exercises to address the impairment in neck flexor synergy found in cervicogenic headache and other neck pain disorders.

Neck flexors have an important supporting function for the cervical region. Shoulder blade muscles, particularly the lower trapezius and serratus anterior, are also trained for better postural control.

Subsequently, co-contraction of the neck flexors and extensors is performed to increase general strength at the cervical region. Muscle stretching exercises are also taught as necessary to optimize loading at the cervicoscapular region.

Postural and ergonomic correction

Postural correction of daily activities is crucial to optimize loading on the spine and overlaying muscles, preventing unnecessary fatigue or stress on the supporting muscles. Use of a mirror for visual feedback and tactile feedback, such as tape application, may be used to aid posture correction.

Rearrangement of layouts and work processes are recommended to minimize undue strain from prolonged postures, especially for people who have desk-bound jobs.

What our patients say

Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.

       
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   Micah 
 40 days ago
 
 
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Amazing experience with Phoenix Rehab, was assisted by Mavis. She’s very kind and professional and did thorough check on my wrist. I feel very comfortable during the process.

I went in for thermoplastic splint, and everything went smoothly. She was able to address my needs on my left wrist sprain.

They were prompt with appointment process and inquiry. Also the clinic is very close to Tanjong Pagar MRT. I highly recommend!
  
 
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   Chiky Phan 
 44 days ago
 
 
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Fist time doing ultrasound for my tennis elbow!! Let’s hope it gets better the next few weeks!! Thank Mavis Tham!!
  
 
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   XIN WANG 
 61 days ago
 
 
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Great treatment from my therapist. My painful wrist felt a lot of relief after the session. I’m glad I can slowly get back to doing my usual activities without constant pain.
  
 
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   Abby Lee 
 77 days ago
 
 
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Very helpful and friendly !
  
 
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   雪梅Cui 
 115 days ago
 
 
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The masseur is very professional and provides excellent service ，yati is very good!
  
 
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   Tra Nguyen 
 206 days ago
 
 
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I wasn’t able to close my fingers due to an injury. Nurul at Phoenix Rehab has helped me tremendously with my recovery process. I have been able to resume my daily activities and exercises after only a few sessions. Nurul has been very professional and positive throughout the entire process. Thank you so much for your help!
  
 
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   Juzer K 
 244 days ago
 
 
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Huge shoutout to Yuna Zhang from Phoenix Rehab for helping in my recovery from golfer’s elbow 🙌

I walked in with persistent elbow pain that was affecting workouts and everyday tasks, and Yuna immediately made me feel confident I was in the right hands. She took the time to properly assess my condition, explain the root cause, and tailor a treatment plan to my specific needs instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach.

What I really appreciated was how personalised every session felt. The exercises she gave me were practical, easy to follow, and actually worked. Within a short time, the pain reduced significantly and my strength and mobility improved much faster than I expected.

On top of that, the pricing is very reasonable and affordable, which made committing to recovery much easier.

Professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring — highly recommend Yuna at Phoenix Rehab if you’re dealing with hand-related sports injuries 💪
  
 
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I enjoy coming to Phoenix rehab as they offer a wide variety of services. I had a finger accident and was working with a very experienced hand therapist. Place is clean and comfortable.  Staff were friendly and appointment was on time
  
 
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   Stella Yam 
 469 days ago
 
 
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Very good
  
 
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   Juliana 
 471 days ago
 
 
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Have both physio n Tcm visits here, highly recommend!
  
 
 
  
 
 
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Also on this site: the page on pain at the front of the neck covers the muscle and joint causes and the ones for a doctor.

Where are you with this right now?

1. It is settling on its own

Most neck pain settles within a few weeks. Stiffness in the morning that eases as you move is usual, and so is pain that flares after a long day at a desk. If the range is coming back and the headaches are less frequent, it is settling the way it should. You do not need us for this, and we would rather say so.

2. It has stopped improving

You reverse the car using the mirrors. You reset your shoulders every twenty minutes and it lasts twenty minutes.

A neck that stops hurting is not the same as a neck that holds up. The deep neck and shoulder blade muscles are trained back, not waited back. That is the gap worth measuring, and it is not measured by how you feel on the day.

The Stalled Recovery Review is three appointments over three weeks with the same therapist, because what a joint does under load cannot be read in one visit. The first finds what is limiting it. The next two measure how it responds. $690, nett, no GST, which is three appointments at $230.

3. You have had surgery, or you have a date

Recovery after an operation has a shape, and knowing which stage you are in tells you whether you are on it. See the recovery programs, or neck physiotherapy if you are not sure which applies to you.

All of it runs on the same four stages. The Phoenix Recovery Protocol explains what each stage works on and what you have to meet to move up. No referral needed to start.

Next step

Find out which stage you are in

Pain is the first thing to leave. Movement and strength are the last things trained back, and most people stop before that part is done. One Assessment and Treatment is a single 45-minute appointment at $230, nett, no GST. Your therapist finds what is actually limiting you, treats it in the same appointment, and you leave with your current stage and a written plan.

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Prefer to phone? Each of our five clinics has its own number on the clinics page. No referral needed to book.