Are you living with daily chronic headache pain?
The phrase ‘sick headache’ may very well be an accurate way to precisely explain how you feel day in and day out. A one-off headache can be distressing enough, but if you are crippled by regular or chronic headache pain, there’s a problem.
Many of the root causes of musculoskeletal or biochemical headaches are can be corrected naturally and effectively: physical therapy.
If you’re living with headache pain, do yourself a favor today and say “No more.” Call our clinic and schedule an appointment for a consultation. We’ll get to the root of your problem and treat it the way it should be treated!
What causes headaches to occur?
The idea of your head aching sounds kind of funny when you initially think about it. How can a head ache? What is a headache, beyond the simple definition of a pain in the head? There are several categories of headaches, each with its distinct causes and symptoms.
For most people dealing with this condition, chronic headaches mean tension headaches. A tension headache can be triggered or aggravated by emotional tension, but the actual mechanism involves physical tension in the muscles of the neck. If you have tight or strained neck muscles, they can go into spasm.
Types of headaches
Weak or underdeveloped neck muscles may be naturally vulnerable to tightness and spasms. When spasms overtake certain tiny muscles near the base of the skull, the resulting tugging action irritates a membrane called the dura mater. The dura mater then responds by flooding your head with a vaguely pounding or aching sensation…and this is when you realize you have a headache.
A headache that specifically involves the upper cervical spine is termed a cervinogenic headache. Accident injuries (including whiplash) can push the skull off-center concerning the neck, subjecting the neck muscles to abnormal stresses. This may result in cervinogenic headaches. Even routine postural problems can cause neck strain and tension headaches. If you stare down at your smartphone or laptop for hours each day, you can develop a painful problem known as “text neck” which also promotes headaches.
Other kinds of headaches, while less common, can prove even more debilitating. Cluster headaches are a prime example. These intense headaches strike one side of your face in clusters of attacks. These headaches have been associated with cervical spinal abnormalities.
Migraines are even more notorious for causing nausea, light/sound sensitivity, faintness, and vision problems on top of brutal headaches. Migraines sometimes occur as a complication of concussions; they are also triggered by exposure to specific stimuli such as lights, sounds, or foods.
Physical therapy can make you more comfortable!
Our physical therapist can help you get to the bottom of your headache problem. If your headache is cervinogenic in nature, we may need to work on your neck.
The following outlines treatment methods and approaches that could be used in a scenario with someone suffering from text neck:
- Chiropractic adjustment can correct skeletal misalignment issues that place the neck muscles under unnatural strain. These adjustments can also help to reduce cluster headache attacks.
- Exercises that strengthen and loosen the neck muscles and can help to ease the stresses that set off the headaches.
- Laser therapy and massage therapy can both relax tight neck tissues and speed recovery to injured muscles.
- Corrective exercises and postural/ergonomic changes will help to steer clear of “text neck” and other occupational headache triggers.
If migraines are the result of a recent concussion, a carefully-administered course of physical therapy can help you recuperate from that concussion more quickly. Our physical therapist can help you identify other migraine triggers and suggest strategies for avoiding them in your everyday life. You’d be surprised at how many different triggers for headaches are in your daily routine. Some people get headaches from bright lights or noises, some get them from foods or caffeine. Your therapist will also be able to help you identify triggers and avoid them as best as you can.
Let a physical therapist help you avoid headache pain
Although it may feel like it, you’re not doomed to go through life plagued by frequent headaches. There are other techniques out there for you to try, and other pain-relieving methods besides pills. If you’re ready to free yourself from this burden, give physical therapy a try. Contact Richmond PT today to learn more about our headache treatment options!
