Physiotherapy For Headaches in Adelaide
What is a headache?
The term ‘a headache’ covers any pain around the head, face or neck area, and is a common cause of pain and discomfort. A headache can be a symptom associated with many different illnesses. In primary headaches the head pain is the issue itself, however, secondary headaches are due to an underlying injury or illness that needs to be diagnosed and treated.
Causes of headaches
The most common type of a headache is a tension headache. This can be caused by tightened muscles in the back of the neck and scalp, and can come from:
- lack of rest
- bad posture
- stress, depression, or anxiety
- hunger,
- low iron levels, and others.
Symptoms
Headaches coming from your neck can manifest into pain radiating from the back to the front of your head and can be accompanied by trouble focusing mild sensitivity to light or noise, and other muscle aches. If your headaches are sometimes worse on the left side, and sometimes on the right (an alternating headache), this is one of the most obvious signs that your headache is caused by your neck. Neck movements or prolonged postures may worsen it, and pressure to the base of the skull may ease the pain.
Treatment for headaches
When you have a headache, your physiotherapist will ask about your history and do a physical examination to assess the cause of secondary headaches. This is done by assessing the joint movements in the upper neck. It is possible to identify the specific joint and/or tissue that is causing your headache.
To treat your headaches, the joints that are causing the pain will be treated by mobilising and stretching them. Advice will be offered on ergonomics and posture correction, sleeping position and pillows, and your physiotherapist is able to help you with a stretching exercise program to help prevent the pain from recurring and improve joint motion.
However, if you have severe headaches, or have other symptoms like blurred vision, muscle weakness, nausea or vomiting, it is important that you seek medical care from your doctor first.
