Headache
Headache is a common complain, but causes and types of pain can vary greatly. For example, people talk about migraine, tension headache or cluster headache. And the pain can vary from throbbing, stabbing to nagging pain.
Headache and neck
The head balances in principle on the spine. Muscles from the neck take care of the stability and movements of the head. Because these muscles are attached to the skull, this can cause headaches with increased tension. In the event of a headache, our physiotherapist always looks at the mobility of the head in relation to the neck. If the mobility is less then the physiotherapist can treat this.
The symptoms of headache
The type of headache in relation to the neck is characterized by a slowly rising nagging, constantly present pain which worsens with movements such as standing up and walking. In some cases, the headache will get worse during the day, due to the activities of that day. In other cases it may be correct that you get up with a headache and decrease it during the day due to the daily movements.
What you can do yourself
If you are talking about headaches in relation to (muscle tension in) the neck, it is difficult to prevent. Which is generally beneficial to keep moving and to take the right position. A lot of sitting, the same / wrong posture or strain on the back / neck are not beneficial.
What physiotherapy can do
Our physiotherapist will always investigate the head and neck in case of headache complaints. Depending on the location of the pain, for example the forehead or lateral side of the head, your physiotherapist will look for muscle tension in the neck. By removing this tension the headache will decrease or disappear. It is possible that a reaction occurs shortly after the treatment in which the headache increases but then later disappears. Our physiotherapist can extend treatment to improve the mobility of the neck.
The physiotherapist can’t solve the cluster headache but can decrease symptoms with migraine and tension headache. When a relationship with the neck is present, the physiotherapist can provide relief.