Have a headache? Feeling rundown or achy? It may not be the cold or flu, it could be your spine.

“Certainly, headaches can be associated with cervical spine disease; and not uncommonly. If you have a patient who has cervical spine problems, they will often list headaches as one of their biggest complaints,” explains, Dr. Jeffery Henn, a neurosurgeon with Lee Memorial Health System.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer from spine related problems. Some of them discovered after complaints of chronic headaches and muscle aches. Dr. Henn uses different MRI’s, CT scans and X-rays to detect any disorders. “So, if we have a patient who has symptoms of spinal disorder and we can correlate that with the finding on an MRI, we find ourselves in a position to actually sit down and say, ‘I understand what’s causing the problem you are having, “ adds Dr. Henn.

Your family history may also play a part. “Certainly there are many spinal disorders that have a hereditary component, again, the most common thing we know is arthritis itself can have a hereditary component and since arthritis affects the spine, resulting in many common spinal disorders.”

Dr. Henn encourages people to stay active. “I think all the evidence suggests that anything you can do to develop a good routine: bicycle riding, swimming, those kinds of exercises where you are going to strengthen your core muscles that will help stabilize the spine will probably help in the long run.” Suggestions that could keep your body’s foundation in tact.