Are Headaches Causing You Frequent Pain? Find Relief with Physical Therapy

Did You Know Physical Therapy Could Help With Headache Relief?

The term "sick headache" might have been coined to describe exactly how you feel today -- and every day. A one-off headache encounter can be distressing enough, but frequent or constant headache pain can completely disable you.

Many of these headaches have underlying musculoskeletal or biochemical causes - which means that they can be corrected through the right forms of treatment. In many cases, physical therapy turns out to be just what the doctor ordered for chronic headaches and Washington Physical Therapy and Rehab can help solve your pains.

Are you experiencing these symptoms?

Stress-related headaches can vary widely in severity, although they're rarely as debilitating as migraines.

They tend to a generalized ache over a broad region of the head, as opposed to attacking a specific area such as the eye (a trademark of another type of headache called a cluster headache).

The tension that brings them on may stem from emotional stress (if that emotional stress creates chronic neck tightness), but it may also be caused by:

  • Weak neck muscles that become fatigued easily
  • "Text neck," a strain disorder that occurs if you're always drooping your head forward to look at your smartphone
  • Repetitive motion or overuse from work or sports activities
  • Secondary pain problems such as arthritis in the cervical spine

Stress-related headaches that bother you for more than 15 days out of the month for 3 months or more are considered a chronic pain condition.

Physical therapy and headache relief

Our physical therapist can help you get to the bottom of your headache problem.

If your headache is cervinogenic in nature, we may need to work on your neck. For instance:

  • Our physical therapist can help you identify other migraine triggers and suggest strategies for avoiding them in your everyday life.
  • If your migraines are the result of a recent concussion, a carefully-administered course of physical therapy can actually help you recuperate from that concussion more quickly.
  • Corrective exercises and postural/ergonomic changes can help you steer clear of "text neck" and other occupational headache triggers.
  • Laser therapy and massage therapy can both relax tight neck tissues and speed recovery to injured muscles.
  • Chiropractic adjustment can correct skeletal misalignment issues that place your neck muscles under unnatural strain. These adjustments can also help to reduce cluster headache attacks.
  • Exercises that strengthen and loosen your neck muscles can help to ease the stresses that set off your headaches.

What’s causing my persistent headaches?

What is a headache, beyond the simple definition of a pain in the head? There are actually several categories of headaches, each with its own distinct causes and symptoms.

For most sufferers, chronic headaches mean tension headaches. A tension headache can be triggered or aggravated by emotional tension, but the actual mechanism involves physical tension in the muscles of the neck.

Tight or strained neck muscles can go into spasm. When spasms overtake certain tiny muscles near the base of the skull, the resulting tugging action irritates a membrane called the dura mater. The dura mater then responds by flooding your head with a vaguely pounding or aching sensation.

Weak or underdeveloped neck muscles may be naturally vulnerable to tightness and spasms. Accident injuries (including whiplash) can push the skull off-center in relation to the neck, subjecting the neck muscles to abnormal stresses. (A headache that specifically involves the upper cervical spine is termed a cervinogenic headache.)

Even routine postural problems can cause neck strain and tension headaches. For instance, if you stare down at your smartphone for hours each day, you can develop a painful problem known as "text neck" which also promotes headaches.

Other kinds of headaches, while less common, can prove even more debilitating. Cluster headaches are a prime example. These intense headaches strike one side of your face in clusters of attacks. These headaches have been associated with cervical spinal abnormalities.

Migraines are even more notorious for causing nausea, light/sound sensitivity, faintness and vision problems on top of brutal headaches. Migraines sometimes occur as a complication of concussions; they are also triggered by exposure to specific stimuli such as lights, sounds, or foods.

Schedule a consultation with a physical therapist today

You're not doomed to go through life plagued by frequent headaches. If you're ready to free yourself from this burden, give physical therapy a try.

Contact our physical therapist today to learn more about our headache treatment options!

Say Goodbye to Your Stress Headaches, Once and for All

If stress headaches are happening so frequently that they are impacting your daily life, it’s time to start thinking about physical therapy for relief. Stress headaches, also called tension headaches, are the most common type of headache that impacts people. While they are not as serious as migraines, tension headaches are a sign that something in your body is “off.” A physical therapist can work with you to determine the cause and eliminate stress-related headaches for good.

Causes of Stress-Related Headaches

One of the main causes of stress headaches is right there in the name: stress. The headache generally happens when the muscles in the neck or scalp become tense and contract. Depression and anxiety are similar emotions to stress that can also lead to headaches. In addition, there may be a physical cause behind your stress-related headaches. An accident or injury to the neck or back can contribute to headaches. Poor posture and arthritis are two other potential causes.

Diagnosing Your Headaches with a Physical Therapist

Before your physical therapy treatments begin, your therapist will work with you to diagnose your headaches. You’ll need to discuss your medical history with the therapist. If you sustained an injury to your neck, back or jaw years ago, it could still be contributing to headaches to this day. The location where you experience pain, such as in the face, back of the neck or forehead, can also help to diagnose the source.

Your physical therapist will likely run you through some tests as part of the diagnosis phase. For example, your posture will be checked as you engage in several activities. The strength of your muscles and the range of motion in your neck and shoulders will be tested. Your therapist might do some manual therapy to see how mobile your neck joints are. Once the cause of your stress-related headaches is determined, a customized course of physical therapy can be prescribed to treat them.

Physical Therapy for Stress-Related Headaches

The treatment of your stress headaches will depend in part on the diagnosis. For example, one course of treatment that would work for correcting your posture and strengthening the neck muscles might not be appropriate if your headaches are the result of a past injury. In general, you can expect stretching and strength training to be part of your treatment. Other options that your physical therapist might employ can include:

  • Soft tissue mobilization
  • Hot and cold compressions
  • Body mobilization
  • Cervical traction
  • McKenzie therapies

Aside from your physical therapy sessions at the clinic, your therapist will also recommend exercises, stretches and lifestyle changes that you can make at home, which will all contribute to eliminating your headaches.

Benefits of Physical Therapy for Headaches

The ultimate goal of your physical therapy regimen will be to eliminate your stress-related headaches. However, in addition to relief, you will gain additional benefits that will likely improve your overall quality of life:

  • Improved Strength: Your therapist will teach you exercises to strengthen your neck and upper back, which will lead to improved posture. With better posture, you will be able to stand and sit longer without experiencing discomfort.
  • Reduced Neck Tension: You will have better range of motion in your neck and reduced tension, thanks to manual physical therapy techniques applied to the muscles there.
  • Better Posture: Bad posture is really one of the leading causes of stress-related headaches. If you don’t enjoy good posture throughout the day, it is likely to lead to more generalized aches and pains, as well as the muscle tension that contributes to stress-related headaches.

What are you waiting for? Stress-related headaches can be a thing of the past for you, after working with a physical therapist to correct the problem. Contact our office today to schedule your first appointment.

Say Goodbye to Your Stress-Related Headaches, Once and For All

Are you tortured by headache pain morning, noon and night, day after day? Does emotional and/or physical stress always seem to trigger a headache? If so, you’re one of the many Americans who suffer from stress-related or tension headaches. These headaches have own distinctive style, and some of their underlying causes may actually surprise you. If you’re ready to tackle those underlying causes so you can relieve your headaches without turning to drugs, physical therapy might hold your answers. Contact Washington Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation today — our physical therapist will be happy to help you feel better!

What Are Tension Headaches?

The emotional and physical stresses of modern everyday life seem to go hand-in-hand with headache pain. For some people, stress can even serve as a trigger for fearsome migraine attacks, which cause not only blinding headaches but other issues such as vision problems, vomiting, and faintness. But for the majority of us, the word “headache” refers to a tension headache.

Tension headaches are well named, but not always for the reasons you might suspect. They actually begin, not in the head, but in the muscles of the neck or shoulders. If these muscles become chronically tense and tight, they tend to go into spasm. This is bad news for the dura mater, a pain-sensitive membrane attached to certain small muscles near the base of the skull. The tight muscles pull on the dura mater, which causes it to refer pain signals up into the head.

Symptoms and Causes of Tension Headaches

Tension headaches can vary widely in severity, although they’re rarely as debilitating as migraines. They tend to a generalized ache over a broad region of the head, as opposed to attacking a specific area such as the eye (a trademark of another type of headache called a cluster headache). The tension that brings them on may stem from emotional stress (if that emotional stress creates chronic neck tightness), but it may also be caused by:

  • Weak neck muscles that become fatigued easily
  • Text neck,” a strain disorder that occurs if you’re always drooping your head forward to look at your smartphone
  • Repetitive motion or overuse from work or sports activities
  • Secondary pain problems such as arthritis in the cervical spine

Tension headaches that bother you for more than 15 days out of the month for 3 months or more are considered a chronic pain condition.

How Physical Therapy Can Help With Tension Headaches

Over-the-counter pain relievers may reduce the symptoms of stress-related headaches for a few hours, but they do nothing about the stresses and strains that are making those headaches recur day after day. If you want a more lasting solution, physical therapy is a good place to start. Our physical therapist will administer an examination to see whether you’re dealing with tension headaches or with some other type of headache that requires a specialist’s attention. Physical therapy strategies for treating tension headaches include:

  • Exercises to strengthen your neck muscles, allowing them to hold the weight of your head more evenly and with less strain
  • Postural and ergonomic advice to help you get rid of any bad habits that might be causing “text neck”
  • Flexibility exercises, manual therapy, heat therapy and/or ice therapy
  • Stress reduction measures such as yoga, lifestyle changes, and advice on how to reduce common stress triggers in your life.

Take action to stop those stress-related headaches from taking over your life. Call our physical therapy clinic today and schedule an appointment with our skilled physical therapist!

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How to Find Relief from Stress-Related Headaches

Headaches are the third most common pain complaint throughout the world. They are debilitating and can greatly impact a person’s quality of life.

Fortunately, relief is possible. By working with a trained Washington Physical Therapy & Rehab physical therapist, you can experience immediate pain relief from stress-related headaches and other ailments that may be contributing to your suffering. In this guide, we’ll outline the different types of headaches and the causes for them, and explain how physical therapy can help.

Types of Headaches

Pain of any sort that occurs in the head is called a headache. Many resolve on their own and don’t need intervention. However, severe headaches that recur frequently and interfere with quality of life often demand further evaluation. The challenge lies in identifying which type of headache you’re experiencing and then devising a treatment plan accordingly. Physical therapists are adept at diagnosing different types of headaches and can develop  pain relief strategies for stress-related headaches.

There are 10 common types of headaches:

  • Stress (tension)
  • Post-traumatic
  • Cluster
  • Hormone
  • Caffeine
  • Migraine or sinus
  • Exertion
  • Rebound
  • Hypertension

What Are Stress-Related Headaches?

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache in adults and older teens. They often appear as a result of poor posture, increased stress, neck or jaw problems, fatigue, or arthritis, although it’s possible to experience them when feeling anxious, depressed or stressed. They occur when the neck and scalp muscles contract or become tense, and they can happen at any age.

Stress-related headaches generally start at the back of the head and progress to the top of the head and eyes. Sometimes, facial pain along the jaw and cheeks accompanies the headache. They have been compared to wearing a tight hat, having hair pulled or a squeezing of the head from the ears inward.

How Can a Physical Therapist Help?

Your physical therapist will conduct a thorough evaluation of your health history and a careful physical examination. He or She will ask you a series of questions to determine the type of headache you’re experiencing and determine the best route for pain relief.

During your first visit, you can expect to undergo some of the following:

  • Tests of your muscle strength and sensation
  • Questions regarding previous injuries to your neck, head, jaw and back
  • Inquiries about the location and types of pain and other symptoms experienced
  • Measurements regarding the range of motion of your shoulders, neck and other relevant parts of the body
  • Manual therapy to ascertain the mobility of joints and muscles in your neck
  • Examination of your posture while engaged in different activities

If your physical therapist determines that you’re dealing with stress-related headaches, you’ll work together to develop a plan for care to meet your physical health goals. If the evaluation determines a different type of headache, your physical therapist will likely refer you to a different type of health care professional.

Goals of Physical Therapy

While the end goal of physical therapy is pain relief, there are some important steps along the way that your physical therapist will help you address so that you can achieve a decrease in pain.

Some of These Include:

  • Improvement of your posture. Your posture throughout the day greatly impacts your level of pain and likelihood of stress-related headaches. Your physical therapist will teach you methods of improving your posture for a greater quality of life.
  • Improvement of neck movement. Using manual therapy, your physical therapist will stretch the muscles in the back of your neck to relieve pain and increase movement.
  • Improvement of strength. You’ll learn exercises to help strengthen the muscles that control your upper back and neck so that your posture improves, and you’re able to endure standing and sitting for longer periods without discomfort.

Pain Relief Methods

While each treatment meets the needs of individuals, most physical therapists use methods that range from soft tissue mobilization, heat or ice compressions, muscular releases, cervical traction, body mobilization, stretching, strengthening, muscle energy techniques, and McKenzie-based diagnosis and therapy of the spine. With all treatment plans, you can expect to receive education that will supplement your in-office experience.

Persistent and life-altering headaches may not go away without physical therapy. To experience long-lasting pain relief and improve your quality of life, contact our Kirkland, WA office today.

Tension Headaches: How to Handle Them

Of the four distinct types of headaches — tension, migraine, sinus and cluster — the tension type is the most common. Of course, stress is a natural reaction to stimuli and can keep us safe from danger. Yet an excessive amount of stress can lead to tension headaches. That’s why learning how to handle emotional and physical stress can help reduce the severity and frequency of tension headaches.

If you’re concerned about your headaches, contact Washington Physical Therapy — and read on, for some helpful tips about coping with tension headaches.

How the Body Reacts to Stress

When the “fight or flight” response is triggered, our bodies become flooded with protective hormones like adrenaline, which leads to a chain reaction of neck and scalp muscles contracting. These physical reactions often result in either tension or migraine headaches.  

Muscular overuse is another factor that leads to tension headaches. Holding your neck or shoulder joints in an unnatural position for too long causes supporting muscles to go into spasm. In turn, the muscles compress the adjoining nerves, sending pain impulses to your brain that result in headaches and sometimes a sore neck.

Working at a computer, bending over a work table or holding a phone to your ear for prolonged periods are all frequent causes of tension headaches from physical sources.

Additional Causes

Along with muscle-bunching activities like desk work, here are a few other factors associated with tension headaches:

  • Emotional stress
  • Fatigue
  • Excess alcohol
  • Fluctuating caffeine levels
  • Eye strain
  • Use of tobacco products

Dealing With a Tension Headache

Here are three of the most common tips concerning how people effectively deal with tension headaches:

  • Stretch your neck muscles regularly. Tense muscles in the neck region are often tension headache culprits. Physical therapy can also help.
  • Practice relaxation techniques. Whether it’s deep breathing, yoga or walking on your lunch break — finding a way to de-stress is key to stopping tension headaches before they start.
  • Adjust your ergonomics. Your workplace setup can cause headaches. Consider simple adjustments like setting up your monitor to a more comfortable position, and getting a headset for your telephone.

If you have a severe headache, especially if it’s an unusual type for you, seek immediate medical attention. Tension headaches, on the other hand, don’t require emergency care — but they can still be painful and interrupt your normal routine. We may be able to give you the tools you need to decrease the severity and frequency of these annoying headaches. Contact Washington Physical Therapy today for more information.

Don’t Let Neck Pain and Headaches Hold You Back

Head and neck pain are quite common, but that doesn’t mean you should tolerate it. Chronic neck pain, neck tightness and frequent headaches are not only uncomfortable; symptoms like these can interfere with your work, family life and overall enjoyment. Many people seek temporary relief with NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen, but these remedies only mask the symptoms, they don’t treat the problem. Over the long term, daily use of NSAIDs can cause their own problems, such as weakened neck and shoulder muscles, liver damage, stomach ulcers or worse.

The structure of the neck is very complex. Seven vertebrae in the neck move in tandem and independently to facilitate the movement and flexibility that occurs in a healthy and properly functioning structure. The neck is also a kind of conduit for the thickest part of the spinal cord, which runs from the body to your brain. Finally, the head and neck are primarily responsible for your ability to balance your entire body. Now you can hopefully understand why chronic neck pain and headaches should never be ignored.

Common Causes of Neck Pain

Neck pain typically is caused by a limited group of common problems. Since the neck is where blood vessels link through to your head, pain and tightness can cause spasms of the arteries around the nerves of the neck and head. One or more of these things may be responsible for your neck pain.

Poor posture can contribute to head and neck pain because when one slouches or tenses up certain areas of the head and neck, the related tendons tend to contract. This contraction can become almost permanent, and the resulting strain on adjacent muscles and tendons leads to chronic pain.

Trauma from car accidents, falls or other accidents can bruise muscles and bones, or even knock vertebrae out of alignment. This condition can be extremely painful and for some patients it’s hard to imagine being pain-free again. With proper physical therapy, patients can fully recover from headache and neck pain caused by trauma.

Poor circulation stemming from a primary cause such as diabetes can lead to extreme neck pain and severe headaches. Though many people think that the pain, tingling or numbness is causing the pain, it’s actually the reverse. Lack of proper blood flow can cause these symptoms in the head and neck area, as well as the arms, hands and fingers. One common sign that you have poor circulation is if you seem to always have cold hands or feet. If you visit with one of our physical therapists and it’s determined that you have poor circulation, we can work closely with your primary physician to ensure that the primary cause is being treated along with the symptoms.

Chronic Headaches and Neck Pain Are Treatable

The good news is that no matter what the specific cause or causes of your chronic headaches and neck pain, the condition is treatable. You don’t need to suffer from the severe and bothersome pain associated with these issues. Whether you have pain due to poor posture, trauma, poor circulation or something else, you can soon have relief. All you need to do is contact us today to have one of our licensed physical therapists do a comprehensive, non-invasive examination. After that, we will likely be able to pinpoint the root cause of your neck pain or headaches, treat it and teach you how to prevent it from returning. Contact Washington Physical Therapy today to get started on the road to recovery.

Neck Pain and Headaches from Stress

Stress is nothing more than our reaction to a provocation that upsets our physical and/or mental equilibrium. Therefore, stress is an inevitable part of life. Nevertheless, when we are faced with stress, our “fight or flight” response can be triggered; this causes the production of hormones including adrenaline and cortisol to increase and rush through your body.

About Your Neck Pain and Headaches

Simultaneously, muscles in our neck and scalp may contract. These muscle contractions occur when we are faced with stress, anxiety, or depression. When these muscles contract they often cause dull, nagging headaches that often turn into full-blown migraine headaches.

Robert Gotlin, DO, director of Orthopaedics and Sports Rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City says this about neck pain,

“As stress goes up I definitely see more patients with neck pain. Every year around tax time, the number of patients with neck pain increases, especially among Wall Street types here in New York.”

Another cause of neck pain is structural and results from a neck joint issue. This type of a headache is known as a neck headache or more properly as a Cervicogenic headache. Research shows that fixing the neck can end a headache. The joints usually associated in a neck headache are:

  • Atlanto-occipital joint (O-C1)
  • Atlanto-axial joint (C1/2)
  • C2/3 cervical spine joints

When your neck joints are too tight, a headache can result in just a few minutes. Not all stress is bad, however. Stress within your comfort level helps you to perform under pressure, keep you motivated and to keep you safe when danger is evident.

How Many Types of Headaches Are There?

Headaches come in many sizes and pain levels, however, there are four distinct types of a headaches:

  1. Tension
  2. Sinus
  3. A migraine
  4. Cluster

Tension headaches are the most common of all headaches and can occur simply from holding your head in one position for too long. Some of the activities that can lead to a tension headache from this source are:

  • Staring at a computer screen
  • Working with a microscope
  • Fine work with one’s hands

Other causes of tension headaches include:

  1. Physical or emotional stress
  2. Caffeine (too little or too much)
  3. Sinus infections from a cold or the Flu
  4. Alcohol consumption
  5. Eye strain
  6. Fatigue
  7. Tobacco use

Serious debilitating headaches are a warning that you should seek medical attention; tension headaches, however, are most often just a nagging annoyance, though some can be painful enough to disrupt your daily activities.

How Do I Deal with a Tension Headache?

Since tension headaches are the most common of all headaches, here are three tips on how to deal with tension headaches.

Relax – Tension headaches are called this for a reason; relaxation and stress relief can help alleviate your headache. While stress is an undeniable part of life, an overabundance of stress can lead to more serious diseases such as high blood pressure or heart disorders. Activities that strain your neck and back should be curtailed and stretching breaks should be a regular part of your work day.

Fix Your Workplace Ergonomics – A headset for your telephone, proper monitor positioning for your computer, a desktop riser that lets you work while standing. In addition, make sure your eyeglasses and contacts prescription are current.

Stretch Your Muscles – Stretching is a great way to release tense muscles in the neck. Try stretching with a general exercise program designed by a trainer or physical therapist that is specific to your needs.

Headaches can be inconvenient and painful. Talk with your physical therapist today to see if your headaches are stemming from neck pain or stress and learn how to treat them effectively!

Sources

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000797.htm

https://www.everydayhealth.com/neck-pain/neck-pain-reduce-stress.aspx

https://www.painscience.com/articles/tension-headache.php

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tension-headache/symptoms-causes/dxc-20211470

https://www.healthline.com/health/tension-headache

https://physioworks.com.au/injuries-conditions-1/neck-headache-cervicogenic-headache

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