In most cases of headaches, the cause determines the treatment course to take. For example, there are forms of headaches that are best managed by physiotherapy, perhaps alongside other treatment methods. Here are four examples of headaches that may be managed by physiotherapeutic techniques:
Stiff Neck Joints
A malfunction of the musculoskeletal and neurovascular structures in your upper neck, which you may recognize as a stiff neck joint, may result in a headache. This is a cervicogenic headache, which occurs when pain signals from your stiff neck joints travel to your brainstem. Physical manipulation of your neck, to reduce the tension, may help to relieve this form of headache, too.
Weak Muscles
It is surprising that both tight and weak muscles may cause headaches. This is especially the case if the affected muscles are in your neck. Causes of muscle weakness include prolonged bed rest, diseases such as muscular dystrophy, and chronic fatigue.
Exercises that strengthen the affected muscles may help to ease headaches. However, a permanent solution should include dealing with the root of the muscle weakness. For example, if it is a disease, then it should be treated accordingly.
Poor Posture
Poor posture causes tension in almost all parts of your body. However, it is the tension in your shoulders, neck, and back that are most likely to lead to headaches. These are the kinds of headaches that appear as painful throbs at the base of the skull.
While a physiotherapist can help you to alleviate poor-posture-based headaches, you also have to do your part to prevent reoccurrence. You need to correct your posture to prevent further tension; otherwise; you will be having chronic headaches due to your posture.
Nerve Dysfunction
Damage to your occipital nerves, which transmit signals from your body to your head, can also lead to headaches. There are a couple of these nerves, which are located on both sides of your head. This type of headache appears as a tingling sensation, usually on one side of the head. This is another headache that may be managed by physiotherapeutic methods.
Proper diagnosis is necessary because it is easy to confuse this headache with others, such as those caused by stiff neck muscles. Thus, you shouldn't resort to physiotherapy before getting a diagnosis from a healthcare professional.
These are just a few examples of headaches that can be managed by physiotherapy (such as is provided by Advance Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation). In most cases, your health care agents, such as physiotherapist and general physician, will use a combination of different techniques (that may include medication) to treat you. Ensure you follow their advice to the letter.
Share29 September 2015
When my daughter began having academic problems in school and acting out, I knew that something wasn’t right. Her teachers wanted me to put her on ADD medications, but I didn’t think that that was the right course for us. I had serious doubts that ADD was what was causing her problems. I took her to several different specialists before discovering that her issues in school were actually do to a visual processing problem. The doctor recommended vision therapy, not medication, to help correct the problem and get her back on track. The exercises are really starting to pay off, and she’s showing great improvement.
