Headaches
Osteopathy is an effective approach to the treatment 
of headaches caused by neck dysfunction. PMID: 16942472 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
The most common type of headache originates from muscle stiffness or joint strain in the neck and upper thoracic region. This is the type of headache that responds well to treatment. Other factors may include:
- eye strain
- sinus congestion
- whiplash injury
- stress
- poor posture
- jaw imbalance and teeth grinding
- allergies and food intolerances.
Your osteopath or physiotherapist can help to:
- improve your general mobility
- improve the mobility of your ribs, thoracic and cervical spine
- reduce muscular tension.
- improve blood supply and drainage to and from the head and neck
- advise on posture, exercise and stretching to help prevent a recurrence of symptoms
- offer guidance on diet
- give advice on improving your work station.
Our therapists as primary healthcare practitioners are trained to differentiate between headaches with common causes of headaches and those due to serious pathology.
You should aways seek professional advice if the headache is accompanied by:
- fever
- nausea or vomiting
- bleeding or fluid draining from the nose or ears
- dizziness
- blurred vision or speech
- numbness, tingling or paralysis.
Headaches can range from tension-type headaches through to debilitating migraines. If you experience headaches regularly, keeping a headache diary can help identify these triggers and ultimately help them avoid them. Some people may worry that their headache has a serious underlying cause, but for the vast majority of headaches there isn't a serious cause. X-rays or other imaging tests are very rarely required. A headache diary allows you to record important details about your headaches, such as symptoms, frequency and other factors which may be contributing to their onset. Take your headache diary along to your appointment with your osteopath to discuss with them.
Osteopathic and Physiotherapy Treatment
Our osteopaths and physiotherapists are all trained to diagnose the specific tissue which is causing your symptoms. However at the ROC we will also analyse why that specific area has become injured and treat the causes.
For example:
Clare who is 52 and is a keen horse rider presented with regular headaches which were at the back of her head and were worse as the day progressed. On examination it was found that Clare had degenerative changes in her neck which could have been predisposed from a horse riding accident 20 years ago when she was diagnosed with whiplash. Her headaches had got worse over the past few months which happened to be during the winter when she would sit on the sofa sewing and extending her neck to look at the TV. Her treatment involved loosening off the tight muscles in her neck and changing her sitting posture by advice and exercises.
After a full assessment we will talk you through our findings and agree a treatment approach. The treatment will include soft tissue massage to relax the muscle tension. We may follow this up with articulation and manipulation to release joints and gentle Cranial Osteopathic techniques to rebalance the rhythmic function of the spine and cranium. In some cases acupuncture may be offered to help reduce muscle tension. Recommended exercises for correcting poor posture are also a part of treatment and consultation.
Osteopaths and physiotherapists are trained primary care providers and are skilled in diagnosing problems, including those which may require further investigation if necessary. Around 30,000 people currently consult osteopaths every working day with more than seven million consultations carried out every year (General Osteopathic Council).