Osteopathic assessment and treatment for headaches arising from the neck and from muscular tension.
Headache is one of the areas where getting the type right matters most, because the treatments are completely different and the wrong one wastes months.
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Cervicogenic headache comes from structures in the upper neck and refers pain into the head. It is usually one-sided and consistent about which side, often starts at the base of the skull and spreads forward, and is provoked by neck positions or movement. Neck movement is commonly restricted. This is the headache type most likely to respond to hands-on treatment of the neck.
Tension-type headache is typically both sides, a pressing or tightening rather than throbbing, mild to moderate, and not made worse by ordinary activity. Muscular tension, stress, posture and sleep are commonly involved.
Migraine is a neurological condition, not a muscular one. It is usually moderate to severe, often one-sided and throbbing, worsened by routine activity, and accompanied by nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to light and sound. Some people have an aura beforehand.
These types overlap constantly. Many people with migraine also have neck pain and muscular tension, and neck symptoms are part of the migraine itself for a large proportion of sufferers. That does not make the neck the cause.
We do not treat migraine, and manual therapy is not a migraine treatment.
Migraine is managed medically — through your GP or a neurologist — with acute treatments, preventive medication where attacks are frequent, and identification of triggers. If you are having recurrent disabling headaches with nausea or light sensitivity, the most useful thing we can do is tell you to see your GP about it, and we will.
What we can reasonably offer someone with migraine is treatment of the neck and muscular symptoms that frequently accompany it, which some people find reduces their overall burden. That is a supportive role alongside medical care, not an alternative to it, and we will not suggest otherwise.
Where a headache is genuinely cervicogenic or tension-type, hands-on treatment combined with movement, strengthening and load advice is a reasonable and often effective approach.
Most headaches are not dangerous. These are the exceptions, and they matter.
Call 000 or attend an emergency department for:
See your GP promptly for:
We screen for all of these at your first appointment. Where anything is present, we refer to your GP before treating.
The first appointment runs around 45 to 60 minutes and is heavily weighted toward history, because that is what separates headache types.
Your osteopath will ask where the pain is, what it feels like, how it starts, how long attacks last, what makes it better and worse, what other symptoms come with it, how often it occurs, and what medication you take and how often. Bringing a headache diary — dates, duration, severity, triggers, medication used — makes this substantially more useful.
They will assess neck movement, examine the upper cervical joints and surrounding muscles, and check whether pressure on specific structures reproduces your familiar headache. That reproduction is a key piece of evidence for a neck-related cause.
You will get an explanation of which headache type or types you appear to have, what we can and cannot help with, hands-on treatment where indicated, and advice on posture, workstation, sleep, and neck strengthening. Where the picture points to migraine or anything on the list above, we will tell you and refer you to your GP. That is a legitimate outcome of an appointment, not a failure of one.
Osteopathy is delivered from our Roxburgh Park clinic in Melbourne's northern suburbs, serving Craigieburn, Greenvale, Meadow Heights, Broadmeadows, Westmeadows, Attwood, Gladstone Park, Campbellfield, Mickleham, Kalkallo, Epping, Sunbury, Glenroy, Pascoe Vale, Fawkner, Coburg and the surrounding corridor. This is currently the only location for osteopathy; home visits are not available.
If you are outside that area, our Physiotherapy team works across Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, including in-home appointments.
Simple Process
Call 1300 765 456 or book online. Bring a headache diary if you have one, and a list of your medications.
Our team asks how often the headaches occur, where the pain sits, what other symptoms come with them, whether anything has changed recently, and what medication you use and how frequently — partly to identify anything that needs your GP first.
Detailed headache history, neck assessment, and screening for the warning features listed above.
An explanation of the likely headache type and a clear statement of what treatment can and cannot address.
Hands-on treatment where indicated, plus neck strengthening, workstation and sleep advice.
Reassessment at the expected point. If treatment is not helping, we refer rather than continue.
Got Questions?
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Contact inOne Healthcare on 1300 765 456, email info@inonehealthcare.com.au, or submit a referral online.
Monday to Saturday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Closed Sunday.
Related: Neck Pain · Osteopathy for Back & Neck Pain · TAC Rehabilitation
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Make A Referral 1300 765 456 info@inonehealthcare.com.auReviewed by Aidan Koukach, Osteopath, OST0002741662. Last reviewed 15/09/2026.
This page provides general information only and is not a substitute for individual clinical advice. A sudden severe headache, or headache with fever, neck stiffness, weakness or confusion, is a medical emergency — call 000.