Condition

Neck Pain and Headache Treatment in Central London

Physiotherapy for a stiff, sore neck and the headaches that often come with it, with hands-on treatment and targeted strength work at UNTIL Marylebone, Canary Wharf and Soho.

Neck Pain & Headaches

Understanding neck pain and headaches

Neck pain is very common and most episodes settle within a few weeks. It often comes with stiffness, aching across the shoulders, and a headache that starts at the base of the skull and spreads forward. A headache driven by the neck is known as a cervicogenic headache.

Long hours at a desk or behind the wheel, poor sleep, stress and a sudden jump in training can all play a part. Carly starts by working out what is driving your symptoms and screening for the small number of headaches that need a doctor instead.

Treatment through physiotherapy combines hands-on work to ease pain and restore movement with exercise for the deep neck and upper back muscles. If you drive, race or train hard, performance coaching builds the neck and trunk strength that helps you hold position for longer, and performance testing measures it so you can see progress.

Physiotherapy for neck pain and headaches can help you to:

Turn my head without it catching

Hands-on treatment and simple daily exercises restore the range you need to check a mirror, reverse the car or look over your shoulder without bracing for pain.

Get fewer headaches from my neck

When the neck is the source, easing stiffness in the upper joints and building endurance in the deep neck muscles often reduces how often the headaches come and how long they last.

Get through a long day at a desk or in the car

Carly looks at how you sit, drive and work, then builds the strength and movement breaks that let you hold position for longer without the familiar ache setting in.

Keep my neck strong for racing or sport

Targeted cervical and trunk strength work, built up in stages and measured, so your neck copes with sustained load lap after lap or game after game.

Know when a headache needs a doctor

Your assessment includes screening for warning signs. If anything points to a cause outside the neck, Carly will tell you plainly and point you to the right medical care.

What causes neck pain and headaches?

  • Long periods in one position, such as desk work, driving or looking down at a phone

  • Weakness or low endurance in the deep neck and upper back muscles

  • Sustained load on the neck from sport or motorsport, without the strength to match it

  • Stiffness in the upper joints of the neck, which can refer pain into the head

  • Poor sleep, an unsupportive pillow or high stress, all of which increase muscle tension

  • A whiplash-type injury from a fall, collision or crash, once cleared by a doctor

Carly Christensen courtside with England Women’s Roller Derby at the 2025 World Cup in Innsbruck

What happens at your first assessment?

Your first session is a full hour with Carly. She takes your history, asks what you need to get back to, then screens how you move, how strong you are and what the problem area is doing under load.

You leave with a working diagnosis in plain English, the first steps of your plan, and a clear idea of how progress will be measured.

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Carly Christensen trackside with Cadillac Hertz Team Jota crew at the Qatar round of the 2025 World Endurance Championship

Fees and booking

Sessions are £150 per hour, by appointment at UNTIL Marylebone, Canary Wharf or Soho. You can refer yourself; no GP letter is needed.

  • Assessment and treatment: £150 for 60 minutes
  • Self-referral: no GP referral needed if you are paying yourself
  • Sessions at UNTIL Marylebone, UNTIL Canary Wharf and UNTIL Soho
  • Book by phone on 07719 662005 or by email
Book an assessment

How it works,
from first assessment to full output

A clear path from first assessment to being back at full output, measured, not guessed. Every session is one hour with Carly, at UNTIL Marylebone, Canary Wharf or Soho.

Carly Christensen in the treatment room at the Roller Derby World Cup 2025 in Innsbruck, with an athlete on the plinth

Assess

Physical screening and performance testing to find what is limiting you. Carly takes a full history, examines how you move and load, and measures where it matters, so the plan starts from numbers rather than guesswork.

Carly Christensen in Cadillac Hertz Team Jota team kit with headset

Plan

A programme built around your goals, your sport and your calendar. You leave knowing what is driving the problem, what you are going to do about it, and how progress will be measured from one session to the next.

Carly Christensen on the grid beside the Cadillac Hertz Team Jota car at the Qatar round of the 2025 World Endurance Championship

Build

Coached sessions and progressive loading, adjusted as you improve. Strength, control and conditioning are built in stages, with the load moved on only when the last stage has been earned.

Carly Christensen celebrating with an England skater at the Roller Derby World Cup 2025

Return

Back to sport and racing, with objective measures to prove it. The decision to return rests on retesting against your own baseline, so you go back with evidence rather than a feeling.

Neck pain and headache
questions

Can neck problems cause headaches?

Yes. Stiffness and muscle tension in the upper neck can refer pain into the head, usually starting at the base of the skull and spreading to the forehead or behind one eye. This is called a cervicogenic headache, and it often eases when the neck itself is treated.

When is a headache or neck pain an emergency?

Call 999 or go to A&E if a headache comes on suddenly and is extremely painful, follows a head injury, or comes with a stiff neck and high temperature, a rash, confusion, slurred speech or weakness on one side of the body. These need urgent medical care before physiotherapy.

What happens at a Box Box assessment for neck pain?

Carly takes a full history of your neck pain and headaches, screens for warning signs, then examines how your neck and upper back move and how strong they are. You leave with a plain explanation of what is driving it and the first exercises of your plan.

Do I need a scan for neck pain?

Usually not. Most neck pain is diagnosed from your history and an examination, and scans often show age-related changes in people with no pain at all. If Carly finds signs that need imaging or a medical opinion, she will explain why and help you get the right referral.

Ready when
you are.

Box Box Physiotherapy and Performance • UNTIL Soho, 111 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DT

Book an assessment

Based in central London, by appointment. Sessions at UNTIL Marylebone, Canary Wharf and Soho.