Symptom Guide
Constant Headaches Behind Your Eyes?
That daily pressure behind the eyes often begins somewhere surprising: the top of your neck. Here's how to tell, and what our North Phoenix clinic can do about it.
What you're feeling
It builds through the day: a squeezing pressure behind one or both eyes, sometimes a band across the forehead or temples. By late afternoon you're rubbing the bridge of your nose in meetings and reaching for the bottle of ibuprofen that lives in your desk. You've blamed screens, allergies, stress, your prescription. Some days it starts at the base of the skull and creeps forward; most days you just wait it out.
What it usually means
Frequent pressure headaches behind the eyes are very often tension-type or cervicogenic, meaning they originate in the muscles and joints of the upper neck. The nerves at the top of the cervical spine share pathways with the nerves supplying the head and face, so an irritated joint under the skull can refer pain to the forehead and behind the eyes. Hours of forward-head posture at a screen keep those joints under constant strain, which is why the headaches feel so relentless. Our headache care page covers the full picture.
When it's urgent
Most headaches are miserable, not dangerous, but some need the emergency room. Call 911 or go to the ER for:
- A sudden, explosive "thunderclap" headache, or the worst headache of your life
- Headache with fever and a stiff neck, confusion, or drowsiness
- Headache with weakness, numbness, vision loss, or slurred speech
- A headache that follows a blow to the head
How SpinalWorks evaluates it
Dr. Steve Van Laecken DC takes a careful history: when the headaches started, what triggers them, what you've already tried. A hands-on exam of the upper neck usually finds the tender, restricted joints involved, and weight-bearing digital X-rays, when clinically necessary, show whether your neck has lost its healthy forward curve, a common finding in people with chronic headaches. If the exam points away from the spine, we'll tell you and point you to the right provider.
What care looks like
Care centers on gentle, specific chiropractic adjustments to restore motion to the upper cervical joints, paired with practical posture changes for your desk and phone habits. The goal is fewer headaches at the source, not another thing to take when one arrives. Results vary from person to person. Tired of managing them? Book a $79 new patient visit or call (602) 298-1600. We serve Moon Valley and all of North Phoenix.
Keep Reading
Where to go from here
Headache Care
Tension, cervicogenic, and migraine: how chiropractic care fits in.
Learn the conditionChiropractic Adjustments
Precise care for the upper neck joints that refer pain into the head.
Explore the serviceBook an Evaluation
Find out whether your neck is behind your headaches.
Schedule nowCommon Questions
Headache questions, answered
Can my neck really cause headaches behind my eyes?
Yes. The nerves of the upper neck share pathways with the nerves that supply the head and face, so irritated joints and tight muscles at the top of the neck commonly refer pain to the forehead, temples, and behind the eyes. These are called cervicogenic headaches.
How do I know it's not just eye strain?
Eye strain usually eases when you rest your eyes and worsens with focused visual work. Neck-related headaches tend to track with posture, neck stiffness, and time of day, and often start at the base of the skull before settling behind the eyes. An updated eye exam plus a spinal exam sorts it out.
How does chiropractic care help headaches?
By treating the source rather than the symptom. Specific adjustments restore motion to the upper neck joints that refer pain into the head, and posture work reduces the daily strain that keeps triggering them. Results vary from person to person.
Which headache symptoms are emergencies?
Call 911 for a sudden thunderclap headache, the worst headache of your life, or a headache with fever and stiff neck, confusion, weakness, vision loss, slurred speech, or one that follows a head injury. Those need immediate emergency evaluation.
Begin Your Path to Relief
Your first visit starts here
Full consultation, examination, X-rays if necessary, and your first adjustment: $79 for new patients. Serving Moon Valley and North Phoenix with care, integrity, and heart.