At Worthing Osteopathic & Wellbeing Clinic, we know that headaches are no laughing matter. Whether they’re a minor inconvenience or utterly debilitating, affecting your ability to function for hours or even days, they require attention and care. With 47% of the global population experiencing regular headaches, it’s crucial to understand and address the root causes.
The complexity of diagnosing headaches lies in the fact that over 130 distinct disorders have been identified, with more than 300 known triggers. This makes each headache almost as unique as the person experiencing it. To add to the complexity, you might simultaneously suffer from multiple types of headaches or migraines. These mixed or multi-source headaches can overlap, where one may cause another, making them more challenging to resolve. For instance, a dysfunctional neck could lead to muscle spasms, increased blood pressure, and result in a cervicogenic (neck) headache combined with a tension headache and a resultant migraine.
Commonly Diagnosed Headaches:
- Migraines (12%)
- Tension headaches (75%)
- Cervicogenic headaches (18%)
- Sinus headaches
If your headaches are infrequent, they’re often triggered by lifestyle factors such as:
- Dehydration
- Stress
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Certain foods
- Skipped meals
- Lack of sleep
- Poor posture
- Muscular tension
- Medications
- High blood pressure
- Infections
- Hormonal influences
However, for those suffering from regular headaches, there’s good news. At Worthing Osteopathic & Wellbeing Clinic, we focus on the two most common types—tension-type headaches and cervicogenic headaches, both of which can be significantly improved or even cured through physical therapy. This holds true both in the short term and for long-term management.
Physical Therapy: A Proven Solution
There is a robust body of research and clinical evidence showing that physical therapy is highly effective in treating certain types of headaches. Manual, hands-on therapy that manipulates or mobilizes the neck can be extremely beneficial in either eliminating or reducing the intensity and duration of headaches.
Soft tissue work, including trigger point therapy and massage, can effectively relieve muscle spasms in the head and neck that contribute to headaches. Massage therapy, in particular, not only alleviates physical symptoms but also helps reduce the stress and anxiety associated with headache episodes.
For neck or cervicogenic headaches, as well as sinus headaches, additional therapies like acupuncture, laser treatment, and ultrasound can provide relief.
Addressing Posture and Movement
Poor posture and repetitive movements in daily life can also increase the risk of headaches by causing muscle imbalances, weakness, and strain on the ligaments and soft tissues of the neck joints. Corrective exercises designed to strengthen weak muscles and stretch tight ones can be extremely effective in preventing and treating these issues.
Take the Next Step Towards Relief
We invite you to explore our downloadable resources and advice sheets on specific headache types at the following links:
https://cokinetic-production.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/brandedpdfs/15747/ed52d20972c04c5c9446d48c788d5e873a999062.pdf – Headache Types self-diagnosis chart
https://cokinetic-production.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/brandedpdfs/15747/13c670dc9312298197dd13659a4162da92d9bb4c.pdf – Sinus headache
https://cokinetic-production.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/brandedpdfs/15747/d9c9fa41b60bf952cf754203cfce28dfb7e9ed42.pdf – Cluster Headache
https://cokinetic-production.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/brandedpdfs/15747/84b01b14d24738a7cd47ac5e28f876a34097c183.pdf – Tension Headache
https://cokinetic-production.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/brandedpdfs/15747/5f75c46e0d5420fc4d973a641005eeed5dd4e0f8.pdf -Cervicogenic Headache.
If you’d like to learn more about how Worthing Osteopathic & Wellbeing Clinic can help in the treatment and prevention of headaches, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly on 01903 366260