Neck Pain and headaches - Neck and Head Physiotherapy in Grange

Persistent or recurring headaches may be neck related, and you may not even have pain! This cause of a headache has been commonly overlooked which has often resulted in patients suffering for many years.

Physiotherapists assess and treat neck pain and neck-related headache.

Headaches caused by the structures of the neck are often one-sided, with pain usually arising at the base of the skull and referring to the temple, forehead or eye region. However, pain can be present in the eye/head region alone. Pain may be aggravated by neck movement or sustained postures and is often eased by manual pressure to the base of the skull. You might wake with pain, or it might come on as the day progresses.


How your neck can cause pain in your head:

It has been well demonstrated that structures in the neck can refer pain to the head. The nerves in the top of the neck (C1-C3) also provide sensation to the face and head. If these nerves are aggravated by stiff joints and muscles in the neck, they can cause pain in the head. This is called referred pain.

The Role of Physiotherapy:

Your therapist will thoroughly assess your neck and headaches. They will ask specific questions to rule out other causes of headaches. They will then feel and assess the structures of your neck to decide if they may be causing your headache. If the neck structures are involved, we will find

  • Tight and painful structures in your neck (joint and muscle)

  • Pressure on specific structures of your neck will reproduce your head pain.

  • Postural changes such as a forward head posture and stiff mid-back.

  • Reduced motion in the upper joints of the neck.

  • Reduced endurance in the deep muscles of the neck.


After correctly diagnosing the neck as the cause of headache, treatment can be quite straightforward for an experienced physiotherapist. Physiotherapists use a combination of treatment techniques such as gentle manipulation of the neck joints, massage, and acupuncture to reduce muscle tension & spasm. They also may give specific exercises for areas concerned in order to restore strength and function.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hydrotherapy - Onsite Pool - Physiotherapy Back Pain Treatment Mandurah

Image
  Hydrotherapy or exercise in a warm pool is ideal for gentle rehabilitation for all types of rehabilitation following illness, surgery and injury. Mandurah Physiotherapy has an on-site hydrotherapy SwimEx pool which is available to clients and operates at a comfortable 32-34 degrees. We limit pool usage to one person at a time for individual comfort.  The laminar flow current provides resistance to your workout and enables exercise with different levels of fitness and strength. The buoyancy can assist movement while the resistance can make exercises harder than on land. Once you have been assessed on land, we will provide you with a specific exercise program designed around your individual needs. Qualified Physiotherapists are on hand to assist and guide through your exercises. We have specific equipment which we use in the pool to adjust each exercise for your needs. There are also showers available on site. You do not need to be able to swim to attend hydrotherapy, as most exercise
Read more

Back Pain -Back Pain Treatment | Physiotherapy Back Pain Treatment Mandurah

Image
  Back Pain is a very common complaint and is experienced by almost the entire population at some stage in their lives. Mandurah Physiotherapy Clinicians treat this very common complaint. Chronic back pain is both painful and frustrating. Recent research has shown that persistent low back pain is due to a range of factors including poor disc hydration/health, stiff spinal segments, poor muscle control, degeneration of the spine and sometimes nerve compression. This can lead to not enough or too much movement between the vertebrae segments thus causing pain. Specific exercises aimed at improving normal spinal range and function will improve the back’s function and decrease pain. These exercises involve both back muscles and abdominal muscles but play an entirely different role to the abdominal muscles we use with exercises such as sit-ups.  There is a range of muscles that help to stabilise the spine including the lower abdominal muscles, which involve the transverse abdominous, and t
Read more