[Headache of cervical origin. Critical study (author's transl)].

When confronted to an occipito-cervical headache too often cervical etiology is proposed. Several cervical mechanisms are however possible: 1) neuralgic mechanism for the three first cervical segments. Any vertebral or intra-spinal lesion may affect the first three posterior roots; 2) muscular mechanism affecting cranio-cervical muscles: role of posture; spinal unbalance; traumatic or acute rheumatic discovertebral lesion; 3) vascular (arterial) mechanism, much more unfrequent like vertebro-basilar insufficiency. The role of vegetative (sympathetic) system is practically inexistant. So cervicarthrose play no role when there is no arthro-muscular involvement with painful limitation of cervical movements. But the most important causes of posterior cephalalgia are not of cervical intracranial origin: they are tumours of posterior fossa; high blood pressure, and above all tension headache of psychic origin.