TREATMENT OF HEADACHES

Headaches are very common and usually no cause for concern. However, frequent headaches can be debilitating. We can help you get to the root cause of your headaches and provide treatment for relief.

Causes of headaches

There are many causes of headaches such as alcohol use, lack of sleep, certain foods and eye problems, but there are three main causes of chronic headaches:

Circulatory headaches (migraines)
Stress type headaches
Cervicogenic headaches caused by neck joints and muscles

Physiotherapy treatment is only really effective for the cervicogenic headaches, but migraines and tension type headaches often have a cervicogenic overlap. Treatment of this component of the head ache can be very effective in reducing the severity of the headache.

What to expect at your appointment

A full history will be taken and an examination done to determine whether it is treatable with physio intervention.

Treatment options

There are various treatment options available for headaches, including:

Improving neck mobility – Specific manual therapy techniques will improve upper neck joint mobility. Release and massage of the tight muscle soft tissue can lead to relief of headache pain.
Correcting posture – Migraines and headaches can be improved by correcting poor posture which strains your back and neck muscles.
Pillow assessment – A pillow assessment can help ensure that you have the proper pillow to maintain and obtain an optimal neck position when sleeping.
Workstation ergonomics – Individualised, small adjustments to workstations can be beneficial in reducing the frequency and severity of neck-related headaches.
Strengthening homework – We may prescribe a set of exercises to treat the root cause of headaches. These exercises will play a key role in a long-term strategy for managing symptoms.

Physiotherapy treatment is only really effective for the cervicogenic headaches, but migraines and tension type headaches often have a cervicogenic overlap. Treatment of this component of the headache can be very effective in reducing the severity of the headache.