Tips, Tools and How Physiotherapy Can Help.
Generally, a physiotherapist would not be the first person you would think of to seek help for your headaches. However, physiotherapists can make a big difference to help relieve your
headache/migraine. Specific manual therapy techniques, posture corrections, and particular
exercises can help relieve the headaches/migraines you experience.
What Are the Symptoms of a Headache/Migraine?
Headaches and migraines can present in many different ways. Sometimes, one may
experience the exact same symptoms each time they have a headache. Other times, each
headache experience presents with different symptoms. People that experience
headaches/migraines may feel any of the following symptoms:
- Stabbing
- Pressure
- Heaviness
- Nausea
- Neck pain
- Ache
- Squeezing
- Burning
- Clamp/vice-like
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Throbbing
- Visual disturbances
- Sound disturbances
What Are the Causes and Triggers for Headaches/Migraines?
It is unknown why some people get headaches/migraines and others don’t. Some contributing
factors that can cause headaches/migraines include:
- Stress
- Poor posture
- Eyesight problems
- Irregular eating patterns
- Dehydration
- Medication side effects
- Alcohol consumption
- Trauma
- Sickness/being ill
Some people may also have specific triggers that bring on their headache/migraine on or let
them know that a headache/migraine is imminent. Triggers may include:
- Certain alcohol, predominantly wine
- Certain foods, like chocolate or processed meats
- Stress
- Changes to their sight/vision, like an aura
- Pain/discomfort in the body other than the head
How Can Physiotherapy Help Relieve My Headache/Migraine?
Physiotherapists start by discussing your headache/migraine journey. This begins with a very
thorough discussion of the history of your headache/migraine. Headaches and migraines can
be quite uncomfortable, persistent, and debilitating. Physiotherapists can help relieve your
symptoms, give you the tools to help manage your headaches/migraines and get you back to
enjoying your everyday life.
After determining the type of headache/migraine you experience, physiotherapists can also
look at your neck. Certain areas in your neck can actually be contributing to your
headache/migraine. After deciding what area is contributing, specific manual therapy
techniques can be used to help relieve your symptoms. Changes to your symptoms should
happen relatively quickly. These changes should involve a decrease in how strong the
headache/migraine feels, how often they happen, or how long your symptoms last for.
Headaches Physiotherapists Can Help With:
- Migraines with/without aura
- Tension type headache
- Cervicogenic headache
- Cluster headache
- TMJ (jaw) headache
- Menstrual headache
- Sinus related headache
