Headaches and migraines can happen for several reasons. Everyday “triggers” include loud noises, smells, poor posture, stress, light, dehydration, and tense muscles. Underlying causes can be more difficult to identify, however they are likely related to an imbalance of hormones, chemicals, and electrical activity being relayed to the brain. Physical Therapy helps identify and treat the source of your headaches and migraines by addressing muscle tension, posture, compressed nerves and stress.
How can My PT help my headaches and migraines?
Custom Physical Therapy can help. An evaluation is performed first to find out why there are headache and migraines. This will include assessing posture, neck range of motion, muscle strength, joint mobility, special tests, and palpation.
Next, a treatment plan is recommended. This can include therapeutic exercises, manual therapy, and the use of therapeutic modalities. Clients are asked to return for follow up visits to assess response to treatment so there is a natural progression of treatment.
Treatment plans could range from 1-3 visits per week. Depending on the severity of the problem, treatment may continue as needed. Because the body is dynamic and different events in life can affect progress, on going maintenance treatment can be very effective at controlling symptoms from worsening or returning.
What headache and migraine conditions does My PT treat?
- Cervicogenic Headache
- Trigger Point Migraines
- Ocular Migraines
- Cluster Headaches
- Occipital Neuralgia
- Post Concussion Syndrome
What other symptoms happen during headaches and migraines?
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Blurry vision
- Aura (visual field distortion)
- Dizziness
- Tiredness
- Neck stiffness
- Sensitivity to light, smells, or noises
- Difficulty concentrating