diff --git a/__tests__/fixtures/spec.json b/__tests__/fixtures/spec.json
index c4af10f..434986c 100644
--- a/__tests__/fixtures/spec.json
+++ b/__tests__/fixtures/spec.json
@@ -223,10 +223,18 @@
         "parameters": [
           {
             "in": "header",
-            "name": "ListUsersHeaderParams",
+            "name": "Authorization",
+            "required": true,
+            "schema": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          {
+            "in": "header",
+            "name": "X-Correlation-ID",
             "required": false,
             "schema": {
-              "$ref": "#/components/schemas/ListUsersHeaderParams"
+              "type": "string"
             }
           },
           {
diff --git a/__tests__/parameters.test.ts b/__tests__/parameters.test.ts
index fe5e77f..fde4e9c 100644
--- a/__tests__/parameters.test.ts
+++ b/__tests__/parameters.test.ts
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ describe('parameters', () => {
   })
 
   it('parses header param from @HeaderParam decorator', () => {
-    expect(getHeaderParams(route)[0]).toEqual({
+    expect(getHeaderParams(route, schemas)[0]).toEqual({
       in: 'header',
       name: 'Authorization',
       required: true,
@@ -208,11 +208,76 @@ describe('parameters', () => {
   })
 
   it('parses header param ref from @HeaderParams decorator', () => {
-    expect(getHeaderParams(route)[1]).toEqual({
+    expect(getHeaderParams(route, schemas)[1]).toEqual({
       in: 'header',
       name: 'ListUsersHeaderParams',
       required: false,
       schema: { $ref: '#/components/schemas/ListUsersHeaderParams' },
     })
   })
+
+  it('should handle @HeaderParams with types without $ref', () => {
+    interface HeadersWithoutRef {
+      [key: string]: string
+    }
+
+    @JsonController('/test-no-ref')
+    // @ts-ignore: not referenced
+    class NoRefController {
+      @Get('/')
+      testNoRef(@HeaderParams() _headers: HeadersWithoutRef) {
+        return
+      }
+    }
+
+    const storage = getMetadataArgsStorage()
+    const testRoute = parseRoutes(storage).find((r) => r.action.method === 'testNoRef')!
+
+    expect(() => getHeaderParams(testRoute, schemas)).not.toThrow()
+    const headers = getHeaderParams(testRoute, schemas)
+    expect(headers).toEqual([])
+  })
+
+  it('expands @HeaderParams with properties into individual headers', () => {
+    class ExpandableHeaders {
+      @IsString()
+      Authorization: string
+
+      @IsOptional()
+      @IsString()
+      'X-Request-ID': string
+    }
+
+    @JsonController('/test-expand')
+    // @ts-ignore: not referenced
+    class ExpandController {
+      @Get('/')
+      testExpand(@HeaderParams() _headers: ExpandableHeaders) {
+        return
+      }
+    }
+
+    const storage = getMetadataArgsStorage()
+    const testRoute = parseRoutes(storage).find((r) => r.action.method === 'testExpand')!
+    const testSchemas = validationMetadatasToSchemas({
+      classTransformerMetadataStorage: defaultMetadataStorage,
+      refPointerPrefix: '#/components/schemas/',
+    })
+
+    const headers = getHeaderParams(testRoute, testSchemas)
+    expect(headers).toEqual([
+      {
+        in: 'header',
+        name: 'Authorization',
+        required: true,
+        schema: { type: 'string' },
+      },
+      {
+        in: 'header',
+        name: 'X-Request-ID',
+        required: false,
+        schema: { type: 'string' },
+      },
+    ])
+  })
 })
diff --git a/src/generateSpec.ts b/src/generateSpec.ts
index e74f9b9..236abbd 100644
--- a/src/generateSpec.ts
+++ b/src/generateSpec.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export function getOperation(
   const operation: oa.OperationObject = {
     operationId: getOperationId(route),
     parameters: [
-      ...getHeaderParams(route),
+      ...getHeaderParams(route, schemas),
       ...getPathParams(route),
       ...getQueryParams(route, schemas),
     ],
@@ -86,7 +86,10 @@ export function getPaths(
 /**
  * Return header parameters of given route.
  */
-export function getHeaderParams(route: IRoute): oa.ParameterObject[] {
+export function getHeaderParams(
+  route: IRoute,
+  schemas: { [p: string]: oa.SchemaObject | oa.ReferenceObject }
+): oa.ParameterObject[] {
   const headers: oa.ParameterObject[] = route.params
     .filter((p) => p.type === 'header')
     .map((headerMeta) => {
@@ -100,14 +103,38 @@ export function getHeaderParams(route: IRoute): oa.ParameterObject[] {
     })
 
   const headersMeta = route.params.find((p) => p.type === 'headers')
+
   if (headersMeta) {
-    const schema = getParamSchema(headersMeta) as oa.ReferenceObject
-    headers.push({
-      in: 'header',
-      name: schema.$ref.split('/').pop() || '',
-      required: isRequired(headersMeta, route),
-      schema,
-    })
+    const paramSchema = getParamSchema(headersMeta)
+
+    // if schema has a $ref, check if it should be expanded into individual properties
+    if ('$ref' in paramSchema && paramSchema.$ref) {
+      const paramSchemaName = paramSchema.$ref.split('/').pop() || ''
+      const currentSchema = schemas[paramSchemaName]
+
+      // if the schema exists and has properties, expand them into individual header params
+      if (
+        currentSchema &&
+        oa.isSchemaObject(currentSchema) &&
+        currentSchema.properties
+      ) {
+        for (const [name, schema] of Object.entries(currentSchema.properties)) {
+          headers.push({
+            in: 'header',
+            name,
+            required: currentSchema.required?.includes(name) || false,
+            schema,
+          })
+        }
+      } else {
+        headers.push({
+          in: 'header',
+          name: paramSchemaName,
+          required: isRequired(headersMeta, route),
+          schema: paramSchema,
+        })
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   return headers