Almost all of us have experienced a headache at some point in our lives–and almost none of us would say we enjoyed the experience. Usually, when a headache strikes, we reach for a bottle of over-the-counter pain relief. But what if your headaches become frequent? What if pain medicine isn’t enough to manage them? That’s when you might want to give manual therapy for headaches a try.
Manual therapy is a hands-on approach to healing. It harnesses the power of human touch to relieve pain, improve joint mobility, promote blood circulation, and facilitate healing. At Ohana Physical Therapy, we use manual therapy to help manage a variety of ailments, including headaches and migraines.
Sound fanciful? It’s actually backed by science. The term “headache” is quite broad–there are several types of headaches, all with different underlying causes and/or triggers. Some headaches are actually rooted in musculoskeletal impairments–so manual therapy is a great choice for resolving them.
Want to learn more about the relationship between manual therapy and headaches? Keep reading!
Why Does My Head Hurt? Understanding the Many Varieties of Headache Pain
When you visit our clinic for the first time, we’ll begin with an in-depth exploration of your headache symptoms, which will help us pinpoint the exact type of headache you have. There are four main headache types:
- Migraine: Intense, long-lasting headaches often accompanied by nausea and light sensitivity
- Tension: The most common type of headache. Feels like pressure applied to the head.
- Cluster: Painful headaches that occur around the same time each day (in a cluster)
- Miscellaneous primary headaches: Headaches that don’t fall into the other categories and that aren’t caused by an underlying pathology (such as a brain tumor or sinus infection)
The first step in managing headache pain is determining which type of headache you’re dealing with. Our physical therapists can help you do this, but we’ll need a little help. Before you come in for your appointment, take some time to think about your headache symptoms. Pay attention to the following:
- Location: Is the pain on one side of the head? Both sides? Does it radiate up from your neck? Is it behind your eye?
- Duration: How long does the headache last? A few hours? A few days? Does it resolve and come back the next day?
- Sensation: How would you describe the headache’s sensation? Is it dull and aching? Pulsing? Throbbing? Stabbing?
- Other Symptoms: Do you have other symptoms aside from just head pain? Potential symptoms might include nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light or sound.
- Triggers: Can you identify any potential headache triggers? Headache triggers can vary wildly, but some common ones include stress, interrupted sleep, skipped meals, or weather changes.
The more information you can provide our therapists about your headache, the more easily we’ll find a solution that works for you!
Manual Therapy for Headaches: How it Works
Of the three main types of headaches, manual therapy is most effective at treating tension headaches. This is because tension headaches are caused by tension from contracted muscles in the neck, face, or jaw, with the neck being one of the most common sources. There’s even a name for headaches that stem from neck pain: cervicogenic headaches.
Manual therapy for headaches helps relieve your headache pain by reducing restrictions in the soft tissue of your neck and shoulders that may manifest as headache pain. Different manual therapy techniques will relieve that restriction in different ways. Our therapists will develop a customized program based on your specific needs.
Manual Therapy for Headaches: Different Techniques
Here are examples of the manual therapy techniques we might use to address your headache pain:
- Myofascial Release: Your myofascia is a web of tough, protective tissue that wraps around your muscles. If it becomes tight and restricted, you may feel pain elsewhere, such as a headache. Our therapists will “release” these restrictions with massage-like techniques.
- Trigger Point Therapy: Trigger points are small knots in your soft tissue. Sometimes, they’re tender to the touch, but they can also cause referred pain. Trigger point therapy involves working out those knots to ease restrictions.
- Spine Mobilizations/Manipulations: For cervicogenic headaches, mobilizing or manipulating the cervical (neck) or thoracic (upper back) spine can help relieve pressure–and, in turn, alleviate your headache pain. During a mobilization, we’ll gently guide the joint through its range of motion; in a manipulation, we’ll sharply thrust it.
- Soft Tissue Work: These techniques, which involve manipulating the muscles, tendons, or ligaments in your neck, can also help relieve cervicogenic headaches if they’re rooted in neck muscle strain.
In addition to these manual therapy techniques, our therapists can offer additional treatment suggestions, such as therapeutic exercises to strengthen and stretch the neck muscles or simple postural corrections. We can also help you identify potential headache triggers and find ways to avoid them, if possible.
Conclusion
If you’re tired of living with persistent headache pain, physical therapy with Ohana Physical Therapy could be the tool you need to find lasting relief. To learn if manual therapy for headaches is the right choice for you, schedule an appointment with us today!
