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What We Treat

Headaches treatment in Woodbridge.

The tight band that wraps across your forehead by 3pm. The dull ache that starts at the base of your skull and climbs. If it starts in your neck, it can be treated at the source, not just masked with another pill.

Tension headaches Cervicogenic headaches Screen strain Talk to a Specialist

Sound Familiar?

Does this sound like you?

  • A dull ache that starts at the base of your skull and climbs over the top of your head
  • A tight band across your forehead that shows up right on schedule every afternoon
  • Popping ibuprofen most workdays just to make it through your inbox
  • Noticing the headache gets worse the longer you sit hunched over a laptop
  • Pressing on one specific spot at the base of your neck because it seems to trigger the whole headache
  • Dimming the lights and calling it an early night more often than you’d like

Two or more? Keep reading.

Why It Happens

A headache is a symptom. Something causes it.

Not every headache starts in your head. Tension-type and cervicogenic headaches, the kind that build gradually rather than strike suddenly, are usually driven by a mix of stiff upper neck joints referring pain forward, tight muscles at the base of the skull, and postural strain that keeps the whole system on edge.

That’s why over-the-counter medication only buys you a few hours: it quiets the pain signal without touching the neck mechanics behind it. A cause-first evaluation checks your neck, posture, and muscle patterns to find what’s actually triggering your headaches, then treats that directly.

You’re the one who pushes through it because dinner still needs to happen and homework still needs checking. Taking care of everyone else has always come first. This is where you finally put yourself on that list too.

Physical therapist assessing a patient's upper neck mobility related to headaches

The Honest Truth

Waiting on a headache doesn’t make it wait on you.

If you keep waiting

  • The headaches go from once a week to nearly every afternoon
  • You lean harder on medication just to get through a normal workday
  • The stiff neck driving it gets stiffer, so each new headache builds faster than the last

If you start this week

  • Your evaluation checks whether your neck is driving the headaches
  • Hands-on relief starts before you leave the building
  • You get a plan with an endpoint: a real one, not an open tab of visits

Nobody regrets starting too early. Every week, someone in our clinic says they regret waiting.

How We Fix It

The same four phases. Built for your headaches.

Every plan has an endpoint. Here’s what the four phases look like for tension and cervicogenic headaches.

Weeks 1–2

Pain

Calm the pain down.

Hands-on techniques release the tight muscles at the base of your skull and calm the irritated joints referring pain forward, starting your very first visit.

Weeks 2–6

Prime

Get your motion back.

Targeted mobility work restores normal glide in the upper neck joints most linked to headache triggers.

Weeks 6–10

Perform

Make it strong enough to trust.

Progressive strengthening for your neck and upper back builds the postural endurance that was missing before the headaches started.

Weeks 10+

Prevent

Return better than before.

Workstation setup and daily habits get tested under real conditions before you’re cleared to go all-in: that’s the endpoint, not just another appointment.

Great team of professionals and kind office staff.

Shared by Newton F. · Mid-County PT

Before: wary of another provider that wouldn’t actually listen

After: “A great team of professionals,” in his own words

Headaches Google review

Related Conditions

Pain rarely stays in one place.

Compensation patterns often show up nearby. Here’s what else we treat.

1

Neck Pain

The stiffness that’s often quietly driving the headache in the first place.

Learn More 2

TMJ / TMD

Jaw tension and clenching that can radiate straight into a headache.

Learn More 3

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Tingling and heaviness down the arm from a crowded space at the neck and shoulder.

Learn More

Questions, Answered

What people ask before booking for headaches.

When a headache is tension-type or cervicogenic, meaning it starts in the neck and refers pain forward, physical therapy addresses the actual driver rather than just numbing the pain. A hands-on evaluation checks whether your neck is contributing before we build a plan around it.

Tension and cervicogenic headaches usually build gradually, feel like a band or ache rather than a throb, and often trace back to a specific spot in the neck. Migraines tend to have their own pattern of triggers and symptoms. Part of your evaluation is sorting out which pattern fits so you get the right approach, and a referral if something else is going on.

A full plan for headaches runs through all four phases, Pain, Prime, Perform, and Prevent, typically over 6–10 weeks, depending on how long the pattern has been building. Either way, you get a plan with an endpoint: you’ll always know which phase you’re in and what’s left, not an open-ended string of appointments.

Book Your Visit

Ready when you are.

Request a time and a real person calls you back, usually within two business hours. No phone tree. No ‘someone will reach out.’ Just a plan.

  • (703) 763-3922 Prefer to talk now? Call us.
  • Same-week appointments available

4.9 · 476 Google reviews

Typical response: under 2 business hours

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So we know who to look for when you walk in.

Visit Us

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