Headache Relief

If you suffer from headaches, you are not alone. Approximately 80-90% of people across Canada endure occasional or frequent tension headaches. They are also the third most commonly reported source of pain across the world! Whether they are acute and temporary or constant and chronic (such as migraines), headaches can all be treated by physiotherapy. 

A greater majority of headaches are attributed to cervicogenic headaches, meaning that they are related to the neck in some form. Poor posture, stress, and other factors can contribute to weakness, strain, and injury to the neck muscles and joints. This pain radiates up into the scalp, side of the head, and even the forehead, depending on the area of the neck involved.

Physiotherapy isn’t normally someone’s first thought when they have a headache – most of the time, the common reaction is to take some form of pain-relieving medication. This may help to relieve pain in the short-term, but if you are constantly suffering from headaches or migraines, pain relief drugs will not provide you with the same long-term effects that physiotherapy will. 

Physiotherapy has been shown to help manage chronic headache pain in the following ways:

• Therapy can improve function and mobility.
• It can improve the ease of motion in the neck.
• You can experience an overall improved quality of life.
• It can decrease or resolve the intensity, frequency, and duration of headaches.
• Physiotherapy can help you cut back on the need for medications

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At Central Physiotherapy, we are committed to providing you with the best treatment for your headaches. At your initial appointment, one of our highly qualified Physiotherapist will perform a physical exam and ask you questions about your health history and symptoms, to assess what sort of headache you are having and where the pain comes from.

A treatment plan will then be tailored specifically for you and your rehabilitation, most likely including targeted workouts, manual therapy, and patient education to help minimize the number of headaches you will end up having in the future.

Remember that no two patients are alike, and neither are two treatment plans! The only way to find out what a therapist will recommend for your headache pain is to book an appointment with one.