How to defuse the bomb in your brain?

Migraines will blight nearly all of us at some time, says Michael Davis.
Tension headaches affect more than 90% of women and 70% of men at least once in their lifetime. They come under the umbrella of primary headaches including migraine and cluster headaches.

The cause of this particular type of headache is believed to be due to sustained tension of the scalp and neck muscles.

Tension headaches often spread quickly affecting both sides of the head, and patients often complain of tight and pressing pain. Some people with tension headaches experience fatigue, loss of appetite and tenderness of the scalp, shoulder and neck muscles.

Poor Posture
There are a variety of non-medication strategies that can help reduce the severity and frequency of chronic headaches- you can also prevent headaches by adopting behaviour that promotes good health in general.

Measures that will help you avoid headaches include regular eating and sleeping schedules and avoiding excessive caffeine. It’s also important to stay physically active. Regular aerobic exercise- such as walking, swimming or biking- can help reduce the frequency of tension headaches.

Good posture allows you to move efficiently and can help prevent your neck and shoulder muscles from tensing up. People are now working longer hours, often at workstations where they sit in sustained poor posture: this can significantly increase the tension in the neck and upper spine, which can lead to headaches.

Alleviate Muscle Tension
Try to avoid sitting or standing in slumped positions for a prolonged amount of time. When sitting or standing in an ideal posture your earlobe, shoulder and hip should all be in the same vertical plane. If you’re sitting for long periods try to stand up every 20 to 30 minutes and move around in order to help alleviate muscle tension.

Physiotherapy can be effective when a tension headache has neuro-musculoskeletal symptoms, muscle or ligament tightness, joint stiffness or increased nerve sensitivity.

The key issue, in relation to effective treatment, is finding out and correcting the underlying cause and not just the musculoskeletal symptoms.

That way the patient not only gets symptomatic relief, but can stop any reoccurring problems with the headaches.

Successful examination and treatment requires a detailed analysis of a patient’s lifestyle, including their working and leisure time, as well as a physical examination where the physiotherapist will analyse posture and carry out various neuromuscular and joint function tests.

Underlying Causes
If there’s significant tension in the neck and shoulder muscles, it can be relieved with a combination of soft tissue massage or acupuncture, as well as postural correction exercises.

All too often musculoskeletal practitioners will treat their patients’ symptoms, but not correct the underlying causes.

So if your physiotherapist believes that your clinical pathology is related to postural dysfunction, be sure to have them carry out an assessment of your workstation - otherwise your headaches wont go away.