Almost 50%ofpeople aged 18 to 65 experience some form of headache disorder. A common symptom that helps diagnose headache disorders is the occurrence of a headache at least once in the preceding year.
Almost three-quarters of people around the world report severe cases of headaches and 30% of them have even suggested chances of migraines. The International Headache Society has reported 14 different types of primary and secondary headache disorders. This makes it imperative for healthcare facilities in the region to look into the matter and see what can be done about the problem.
There needs to be a more permanent, non-addictive solution than pain pills, and physical therapy is a plausible option. Here is how physical therapy can help treat your headache.
How frequently do you experience headaches
If you deal with headaches on a regular basis, it’ll help if you answer these questions. They’ll tell if your headache is treatable by physical therapy or not.
- Do you wake up with a throbbing headache?
- Do you get headaches after looking at a screen for a long time?
- Do you feel neck pain and stiffness during a headache?
- Do you have any knowledge of grinding your teeth during sleep?
- Do you feel there are sore knots in your neck or shoulders?
- Do you sit most of the day?
Evaluate your answers for the above-stated questions. Did you answer yes to any or all of the questions above? If so, physical therapy will be a rewarding treatment for your condition.
Have you experienced any of the following situations
- A surgical operation in your shoulders, face, neck or head
- Persistent episodes of vertigo
- Persistent/chronic neck pain
- A car accident
- A head injury from a fall or a concussion
The questions listed above help us identify whether your case is a tension type headache or cervicogenic headache. Both conditions can be treated with a combination of physical and manual therapy.
In either case, if you answered in affirmative for any question, you can benefit from physical therapy.
Cervicogenic Headache
These types of headaches originate in the neck and report painful symptoms to the brain as a headache. This is why it’s referred to as a secondary headache because the primary source is not the head. The location of the problem is most likely the base of the skull, behind the eyes or somewhere in the face.
Tension-Type Headaches
This is a common headache disorder that includes symptomatic tightness of the forehead and pain at the sides of the temples. It usually starts as a dull ache and progresses into a throbbing headache. Stress is the most common cause of such headache disorders.
Our clinic offers physical therapy for headache disorders at our clinic in Bethesda. Come to us for a speedy recovery from these disabling headaches.