How Certain Physical Therapy Techniques Can Help With Headaches

3 Ways A Physiotherapist Can Relieve Headaches

Headaches can range from being a minor inconvenience to derailing your ability to work or even socialize. While there are temporary ways to alleviate your pain, including taking over-the-counter painkillers, you don’t want to make them a long-term habit, since some of them can possibly do things like ruin the lining of your stomach.

There’s another option for you to consider – physical therapy. The exercises and techniques that they use can greatly ease your headache pains.

Curious? Read on to learn three ways a Brooklyn physiotherapist can relieve headaches… and also how certain physical therapy techniques can help with headaches.

Main Types of Headaches

While there are many different types of headaches, including cluster and ones caused by things like allergies, over-exerting yourself, too much or too little caffeine, or hypertension, these are the primary headaches that people get:

• Tension & Stress Headaches:

  These headaches are ones where you feel a dull pain all around your head. Your forehead, neck, shoulders or scalp might feel very sensitive. Stress is mostly the main cause of these headaches. If they happen often, you should try to zero in on what the main stressor is.

• Cervicogenic Headaches:

  A cervicogenic headache is more localized. It tends to start in the back of the neck and then goes up the side of your head… always on either the left or right side, not both. The cause is usually due to a problem in your neck.

• Migraine:

  A migraine is a very intense headache. These can be truly devastating headaches for people – they can become very sensitive to light and get easily nauseous. Usually they get a warning that they are going to have a migraine because they see “auras” around things. The pain can get to the point that they just want to be in a dark room. A migraine can be caused by hormonal changes, certain types of food and drinks, and even exercise.

Manual Therapy

It can literally take a hands-on approach by a New York physiotherapist to help your headache pain. They can do things like spinal manipulation and joint mobilization to ease the pains of cervicogenic headaches. They can also mobilize the soft tissue of your body to target the area that can be causing your head to hurt.

Another possibility for your headache could be your posture. Sitting or standing incorrectly could wind up cramping a certain muscle or pinching a nerve. You could be sitting hunched over while using your phone, for example. Physical therapy can be a great aid to help rectify this situation. While migraines may be more the specialty of a neurologist, easing cramped muscles can remedy some of the pain.

There are several types of manual therapy:

• Joint Mobilization

• Myofascial Trigger Point

• Soft Tissue Mobilization

Those are the three most utilized manual therapies for headaches.

Therapy Exercises

You can also do some exercises at home to help rid yourself of a headache. Here are a few:

• Cat Cow stretch

  Get on your hands and knees on the floor. Arch your back up, head and tailbone toward the ceiling. Then round out your back and tuck in your chin and tailbone. Alternate between the two for a minute.

• Chin Tucks

  Sit up straight in a chair. Try to make a double chin – that is, don’t tilt your head. Hold for 5 seconds and do 10 repetitions every hour.

• Upper Trapezius Stretches

  Sit down and bring your right ear to your shoulder. Don’t move the shoulder at all. Put your right hand on the left side of your head and gently pull your head down toward the shoulder. Hold it there for 30 seconds and alternate sides. Do two to three times each side.

Identifying Headache Causes

An important step to take is to figure out out exactly what caused the headache. Here are some other things besides stress that can lead to your head pain:

• Not eating enough
• Hormones
• Certain foods
• Issues with muscles or discs in your body

While headaches can seem like a routine part of life for many, it’s imperative to seek medical attention if your head continues to hurt even after painkillers or doing physical therapy or exercises. They can be a sign that something more serious is happening to you, like an aneurysm or even brain cancer. It’s better to be safe than have regrets later.

While headaches can make life difficult, if you do the above things, it can make things much more manageable. Soon, after making adjustments, you may find yourself walking around pain-free. All it will take is noticing which events or other factors can wind up causing the headaches and then tailoring your lifestyle around avoiding those things .Then you will be walking around with a smile and not a grimace.

Are You Having Headaches? Contact Experienced Physical Therapists In Brooklyn

Phoenix Physical Therapy Rehabilitation PLLC has excellent staff that can work with you to help relieve the pain in your head. We have offices in Brooklyn as well as Rosedale and Brooklyn. Give us a call to see what we can do for you – 347-733-1916.

Phoenix Physical Therapy

Rosedale Location
23520 147th Avenue, Suite 1,
Rosedale, NY, 11422

Brooklyn Location
7510 4th Ave., Suite 3,
Brooklyn, NY, 11209
Phone: (347) 733-1916