Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy and Headache Treatments

Headaches are something that affects most adults through their lives and are one of the most common reasons for visiting a GP.

At first they may be quite worrying, but in fact only a very small percentage are actually caused by anything sinister. A doctor or neurologist will usually satisfy themselves quite quickly that there is nothing seriously wrong simply through routine examination. Quite often patients seem to need more than simple reassurance from a specialist and want to have a scan done before their minds are set at ease. The danger of this is that scans can show other things that whilst perhaps not anything to worry about actually have the opposite effect on the patient.

There are many different types of headaches that have been classified in the medical world but the exact mechanisms that cause most common headache types are still being researched and debated.

It is becoming increasingly obvious, however, that with lots of simple headaches there are also underlying disorders with the neck as well as head pain. These are often ignored because they are not of primary concern to the headache sufferer and often the symptoms in the neck are very minor and only perceived perhaps as stiffness. This association between the neck and the head is often overlooked by patients and clinicians alike.

Physiotherapists who treat headaches regularly are expert in identifying joint disorders and related soft tissue and muscle problems in the upper part of the neck. Regardless of where it is in a “chicken and egg” debate this relationship exists and physiotherapy has proven success in treating many headaches even when they have already been diagnosed as migraine or cluster headache for example.

We have many case studies where our patients have had daily headaches for many years that have been treated completely within weeks just by improving the condition the tissues in the neck and ensuring that the patient improves spinal posture and work habits.