Headaches
Headaches - a physio perspective.
Picture this - you regularly get headaches, and have been to the Doctor about it, and been prescribed medication to treat it. People go months taking medications to ease their headache, but this ‘Migrane’ won’t go away!
The first thing I want to share with you is that so many headaches are, in my opinion, mis-diagnosed as Migraines. People go months, if not years, taking strong medication to ease their symptoms and find themselves managing a chronic condition instead of finding a cure. It can be the case that once the underlying cause of the headache may be related to dysfunction in the neck or upper back, and if so, a few simple physiotherapy sessions can often resolve the headache forever!
Occasionally, I see such patients in my clinic - often referred by people who previously suffered a similar condition. I get great satisfaction treating them! Why? Well we get to opportunity to correctly identify the cause of the pain and when we find it, we work on that area. Patients leave with a happy smile their face - with their pain gone for good!
This does not imply that all headaches are neck-related, but my opinion is that a neck or upper back related cause should always be ruled out. Attend a Physiotherapist with a training in the treatment of neck-related headaches, then you can eliminate this simple possibility before you decide on any longer term treatment or medication - or at least discuss this possibility with your doctor. Most doctors will appreciate this connection and investigate it before embarking on other forms of treatment.
There are some more articles and examples in this section about this.
Sponsored links
Neck Pain Headache »
Neck-related headaches can trick you! Sometimes, a client can present to my clinic with a severe headache and with a history of neck pain or neck stiffness. But have they linked the two before arriving at my clinic?
Causes of Headaches »
Sometimes a Headache may be caused in by dysfunction in the neck or upper upper back. This article looks at some of the causes of headaches and why they happen.
DISCLAIMER
While the content and materials contained in the articles on this website have been written & researched by Sally Ann Quirke, a professional, practising & fully qualified Chartered Physiotherapist (Physical Therapist) based in Ireland, they are provided for general information and educational purposes only. They do not constitute medical advice on any particular individual situation. Please see your Chartered Physiotherapist or other medical practitioner for full and individual consultation.
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