Can Manual therapies help chronic headaches?

What are the Most Common Types of Headaches?

Cervicogenic Headache –

Evidence indicates that in order to improve symptoms of cervicogenic headaches, spinal manipulation and joint mobilization, as well as mobilization of soft tissue, can be efficient. In the cervical spine or neck, cervicogenic headaches are produced and can spread to other areas of the brain. A stiff joint, nerve pain, soft tissue cramps, or trigger points are the results of these forms of headaches. With neck and head movement, the pain will increase. Manual therapy is a great step in minimizing cervicogenic headaches because, with hands-on pressure, a physical therapist has the opportunity to inspect the head and neck, locate the stiff joint or cramped muscle and mobilize the region to alleviate pressure and increase mobility.

Posture- Related Headaches –

Usually, if you experience headaches, it’s probably not something inside your head that is out of balance. Owing to the overuse or misuse of the muscles, headaches are usually caused by a cramped muscle or a pinched nerve, which then sends signals of discomfort to the brain, which is responded to from another part of the body. Most headaches, that are not defined as migraines or cervicogenic, fall into this category of ‘posture-related’.

Headaches related to posture occur when the body for a prolonged period of time is contorted into an awkward position. This puts too much tension on the body’s other muscles and joints, which can then lead to overuse, and pain signals are transmitted to the brain, which is then perceived as a headache. For example, a recipe for a headache is sitting at your desk all day and staring down at your laptop screen. In this case, the muscles of the neck are overextended and forced for a long period of time to bear the weight of the head at an uncomfortable angle. As a consequence, due to the cramping of muscles or the pinching of a nerve in the neck or shoulders, you can feel the referred pain in your head.

Migraine –

Many who suffer from migraines, sadly, are not uncommon. Migraines rate number seven in the United States as well as the sixteenth most often diagnosed disease for the underlying cause of impairment.

True migraines are a brain chemistry disorder, but to get to the root of the imbalance and find a cure, a neurologist would be the right doctor to meet with. Hands-on manual therapy is used to locate cramped muscles and trigger points to establish a release, so manual therapy would not be able to release the pressure with the hands-on joint movement for those dealing with migraine pain, which occurs in the brain. However, whether they are really cervicogenic or posture-related headaches, people who suffer from what they believe are migraines are misdiagnosed with migraines and lack the chance to undergo manual therapy for pain relief.

Different Forms of Manual Therapy That Can Be Used

With a hands-on approach, a physical therapist will help identify the main issue causing your headaches and treat the condition.

• Myofascial trigger point therapy
• Soft tissue mobilization/manipulation
• Joint mobilization/manipulation
• Muscle energy techniques
• Proprioceptive therapy
• Strain-counterstrain techniques

The most popular manual therapy approaches we use for people with headaches are myofascial trigger point therapy and soft tissue mobilization and manipulation.

Headaches and Manual Therapy at Results Physiotherapy

The signs of cervicogenic, migraine, and posture-related headaches look the same several times and are often difficult to diagnose and administer effective medication to step forward. Doctors will also prescribe drugs to relieve symptoms, but this is not at the root of the problem. The origin of the issue, which often occurs in the musculoskeletal system and involves hands-on joint mobilization for swift and successful improvement, is often not addressed by conventional exercise-only physical therapy.