CONDITIONS WE MANAGE
Headaches
What is Headache?
Headache is one of the most common illnesses in Australia, with around 15 per cent of us taking painkillers for a headache at any given time. Because headaches are so common, most people think they are a normal part of life. However, a persistent headache is a sign that something is wrong.
The continual use of pain medication to combat headaches is akin to removing the warning light that alerts you to a problem in your car! Medication doesn’t solve your headache, it simply offers a short term solution to dull the pain.
Common Types Of Headache
Tension headaches and migraine are the most common forms of headache and cluster headaches are most rare. Other common types of types of headache include sinus headache, rebound headache and exertion headache.
Causes Of Headache
Headaches can result due to a variety of reasons including stress, poor posture, accidents, medications, environmental factors such as strong odours & pollution and dietary irregularities. Your osteopath is trained to assess whether your headache may be arising from a serious pathology and will immediately refer you to the most appropriate form of care without delay.
One of the most overlooked causes of headache is due to nerve irritation in the upper neck caused by poorly functioning spinal joints and hypertonic (stiff) vertebra muscles. Since the nerves of the upper neck supply areas of the scalp and face, irritation to these nerves can and often lead to headache.
Suggestions For Managing Headache
Osteopathy, myotherapy and massage are all common forms of management for headache. By carefully restoring proper movement to the spinal joints of the neck, your osteopath or remedial massage therapist may be able to significantly reduce the presence of nerve irritation and muscle tension helping to alleviate the cause of your headaches.
Your practitioner at Premier Health Partners is trained to determine the most appropriate form of treatment that is tailored specifically for you.
Headache Management Options
Osteopathy
Osteopathy is a “whole body” system of manual therapy which uses a range of techniques to manage musculo-skeletal disorders and other functional disorders of the body. This form of treatment was developed in America in the 1870s by Dr Andrew Taylor Still and has progressed in development to be widely scientifically validated and utilised around the world.
Myotherapy
Myotherapy is the evidence based assessment, management and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal pain and associated conditions. Myotherapy targets the soft tissue of the body, namely muscle groups and connective tissue (myofascia), to help reduce pain, improve muscle function and increase joint range of motion. They also provide education on a range of postural complaints, functional movement and corrective exercise.
