Chronic Headaches and how Physiotherapy can help

Written by alphahealth

24 February 2019

Headache is a leading cause of disability in North America… and did you know 52% of these headaches originate from issues in the neck?

What is a Headache?

Simply put it is the symptom of pain localized to the head and/or neck. The brain itself cannot perceive pain, but several areas in the head and neck have pain receptors thus allowing us to feel pain in this region. That being said, this pain does have a direct effect on our brain, as we tend to see a change in our mood, appetite and productivity. Although research and science have not been able to fully understand the true mechanism behind a headache, they have been able to differentiate and classify different types and severities of headaches.  This is where your physiotherapist can help.

Assessment with a Physiotherapist:

The goal of the assessment is to diagnose what type of chronic headache you are experiencing and create a treatment plan to get you feeling better. The assessment will begin with a thorough history of your headache profile: location of pain, frequency and intensity, what triggers headaches, and what relieves them. The physiotherapist will then assess your head and neck posture, mobility and nerve integrity to see whether these are contributing to your headache profile.

Types of headaches and Physiotherapy management:

Two very common and treatable types of chronic headaches are Tension and Cervicogenic. Tension headaches can last couple hours to days, is described as a pressure or band around the head and/or neck and triggers can be related to stress, head/neck posture, jaw clenching, poor nutrition/hydration, eye strain. Cervicogenic headaches can last hours to weeks, affects one side of the neck, can radiate into the head and face and triggers are related to neck movements and prolonged postures. The physiotherapist will put together an individualized treatment program including education on posture, stretches, joint mobilization and strengthening.
Physiotherapy treatment has been showed to have significant effects on reducing the frequency and intensity of chronic headaches (1,2). So the next time you start to develop a headache, include a physiotherapist in your health care team.
By Olivia Martins
Registered Physiotherapist

  1. Chaibi A, Russell M. Manual therapies for primary chronic headaches: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. The Journal of Headache and Pain. 2014;15(1):67. doi:10.1186/1129-2377-15-67.
  2. Jull G, Stanton W. Predictors of responsiveness to physiotherapy management of cervicogenic headache. Cephalalgia. 2005;25:101-108.

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