Pattern · 01
Cervicogenic headache
Headache referred from upper-cervical dysfunction. Pain usually unilateral, worse with head movement, eases when neck is supported. Our strongest-response pattern. 5–7 sessions typical.
Upper-cervical dysfunction, vagal-tone disruption, and cervicogenic referral are common - and measurable - contributors to both migraine and tension-type headache. The Zone-I protocol targets C0–C2 precisely, and HRV is the primary channel we track. We do not claim to replace neurology: we claim to reduce the days-per-month load, measurably.
Not every headache is migraine. The intake sorts which pattern you have - and whether SpinalSync is the right first move for it.
Headache referred from upper-cervical dysfunction. Pain usually unilateral, worse with head movement, eases when neck is supported. Our strongest-response pattern. 5–7 sessions typical.
Band-like pressure, often bilateral, end-of-day pattern. Typically desk-work driven. Zone-I + zone-II protocol; 6–8 sessions. Ergonomic programme alongside.
Diagnosed migraine where upper-cervical trigger-points reproduce the prodrome. Delivered alongside (not instead of) neurology-led care. Target: reduce monthly migraine-day count.
Headache protocols take longer to land than mechanical lumbar cases - typically 6–8 weeks before the monthly headache-day count measurably drops. The CellSync HRV channel starts moving in weeks 2–3; the symptom frequency follows.
Vagal tone. Primary outcome measure for headache protocols - moves before symptom frequency does.
Paraspinal symmetry at C1–C2. Autonomic dysregulation signature - often asymmetric in headache patients.
Pressure-pain threshold at occipital trigger points. Rises as the cervical referral pattern settles.
Not a CellSync channel - but we track it in the patient app as the outcome that actually matters.
Migraine members get a diary, a breath-pacing drill, and a trigger-check protocol. Small habits that compound.
Headache presentations have specific red-flags. If any fire, we defer SpinalSync until specialist review.
No. SpinalSync is a complement to, not a replacement for, neurology-led migraine management. Members on triptans, preventives, or CGRP inhibitors continue their medications during the protocol. Our shared goal with your neurologist is usually to reduce the monthly migraine-day count - not to deprescribe anything unilaterally.
Yes, with intake review. Aura is a signal that the trigeminovascular system is hyperexcitable - we do not apply force during an active aura, but the Zone-I protocol run between attacks is safe and often beneficial.
Three ways. Your headache-day count in the app (the outcome that matters). Your HRV trend on the CellSync dashboard (the upstream change). And your algometric pressure-pain threshold at the occiput (the direct target measure). We review all three at every visit.
Cluster headache is neurology-territory and we refer. Some members with cluster patterns benefit from SpinalSync for coexistent cervicogenic component, but we never promise SpinalSync as primary treatment.
In our experience, members who complete the 8-session protocol and continue monthly rhythm maintenance typically hold the gains. Members who drop maintenance often see the headache-day count creep back after 3–4 months.
Forty-five minutes plus a four-week headache diary issued at session one. We want the data before we promise anything.