Headache behind eyes
It’s one of the most common complaints I hear from patients: “a headache behind the eyes.” For some folks, it’s just one eye; for others, it starts around one eye before spreading to the forehead, the jaw, and eventually the whole head. Often it comes at the most inopportune times—midway through the workday, helping your child with math homework, or at the end of a long day when you finally have a moment to breathe. Either way, it’s extremely frustrating.
So maybe you try Advil, a heating pad, or stretching. Maybe it’s gotten so bothersome that you mention it to your family doctor, who tells you it's “just a tension headache” and to work on reducing stress (and don’t forget to stay hydrated). If you’re like many of my patients, you’ve dealt with this for years and have walked away from previous care feeling dismissed—even though your pain is real.
If this is you, I want to offer encouragement: your pain is very real, and there is hope for relief. The tricky part about a headache behind the eyes is that it’s not a diagnosis—it’s a symptom location. Tension headaches and migraine are two different diagnoses with very different treatment needs. What is most important is being crystal clear about the contributors driving your headache behind the eyes. To do this, I take a neuro-orthopedic approach, which looks not only at how the neck, jaw, and head are functioning structurally but also how they interact with the brain and nervous system.
Neuro-Orthopedic Contributors to Headaches Behind the Eyes
When assessing how the body may be involved, we take a detailed look at both the neck and jaw. This goes far beyond feeling for “tight muscles.” I want to understand how these muscles are communicating with your nervous system, whether there are coordination or endurance issues, and most importantly, how these systems relate to your specific headache pattern.
A major area we consider is how the nervous system and the neck communicate through the “headache hub” called the trigeminocervical complex. Essentially, all the nerves of the face, eye, neck, tongue, and head converge into this central hub, which processes the information they send and determines how—and where—pain is felt.
We often assess the deep neck flexors and suboccipital muscles, but just finding a painful muscle doesn’t mean it’s the root cause. Instead, we take a precision-based approach to determine whether the nerves and muscles of the neck are processing information maladaptively. This may include assessing eye function, the role of the autonomic nervous system, and how these systems coordinate together. When these systems become inefficient, your threshold for “tipping into a headache” decreases.
Why Medication and Rest Don’t Fix the Root Problem
So why aren’t medication and rest enough? For one thing, the brain adapts to frequent medication, and this can contribute to medication-induced headaches. Additionally, resting and avoiding triggers can backfire—your brain can become more sensitive to everyday stimulation, essentially lowering your threshold and making your “headache cup” easier to overflow.
How a Neuro-Orthopedic Approach Builds Resilience
While each assessment and treatment plan is personalized, we typically follow a structured process for headache behind the eyes.
Step 1: Calm and modulate the system.
This includes neurological-based manual therapy, cranial and cervical techniques, and dry needling when appropriate. After the first session you’ll leave with 2–3 simple techniques to continue the process on your own.
Step 2: Build resilience in the body and nervous system.
This often involves a combination of visual, sensory, and endurance-based exercises designed to help you regain control of your symptoms and return to the activities that matter most.
Signs your headache may be musculoskeletal or neuro-driven:
Worse with neck movement
Triggered by posture or screen time
Recurrent despite medication
Accompanied by neck pain or jaw pain
When to Seek Help for a Headache Behind the Eyes
If these symptoms sound familiar and you’re looking for a treatment approach that considers the full picture and provides actionable steps—not just temporary relief—I encourage you to book a complimentary video consult so we can discuss your case and ensure it’s a good fit.
If you are experiencing headaches, neck pain, or TMJ, please book a consult call and let's get you back to enjoying your life!
