How a Holistic Approach to Headaches Can Help You Find Relief
Do you notice your headaches seem to be connected to neck pain? Have you noticed the more stiff and tense your upper back is, the worse your headaches? At New You Health and Wellness, our therapist will help take a holistic approach to figure out the factors causing your headaches and how to find relief once and for all!
Headaches can interfere with the most basic activities, and getting out of bed can become a challenge when severe. Making it through your drive to and from work combined with a workday sitting at your desk becomes a nightmare. Just trying to focus on anything other than the pain seems impossible.
Finding a solution that doesn’t include medication or other temporary fixes requires a more holistic approach. Instead of focusing on the symptoms, it is essential to get to the root cause of the headaches, and fortunately, this is where the team at New You Health and Wellness excels!
Our physical therapists will conduct a comprehensive, whole-body evaluation so we can provide long-term solutions to your headaches. We will give you the tools to prevent future headaches and improve your overall health and well-being at the same time!
Request an appointment today to get the relief you have been seeking!
What causes headaches that radiate from the neck?
The most common name for headaches that radiate from the neck is cervicogenic headaches. This type of headache is thought to arise from the nerves exiting the C1-C3 cervical vertebrae. Most people feel pain in the base of the skull with referred pain behind the eye(s) and side of the face.
There are a large number of possible causes and contributing factors that contribute to this condition. The most common include:
● Neck trauma/whiplash (i.e., car accident or a slip-and-fall accident)
● Muscle strain from weightlifting or other sports-related injuries
● Poor or prolonged posture or sustained awkward position
Scalp, neck, or shoulder muscle sensitivity can also contribute to this type of headache, as seen with chronic pain conditions or systemic inflammation related to poor health and nutrition. A lower pain threshold makes patients more susceptible to more severe pain. For this reason, early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention are critical.
We usually consider poor habits harmless, but the reality is that they could contribute to your headaches, and ignoring them can lead to persistent pain. The cause of the issue isn’t always as simple to identify, which is why working with our physical therapists that take a holistic approach to care is so important!
How physical therapy at New You Health and Wellness can help your cervicogenic headaches
The good news is that there is a lot you can do to address the factors that can lead to cervicogenic headaches. Our New You Health and Wellness team will support your overall health and well-being. We will address the root cause of your condition to eliminate the headache once and for all!
Our physical therapists will address your situation holistically, considering the initial injury that may have caused the pain, and any other habits, movements, or activities (or inactivity) that may contribute to the discomfort.
Our team uses manual therapy strategies like joint mobilizations/manipulation, massage, trigger point, and myofascial releases to restore mobility and reduce muscle tension. Manual therapy can help to alleviate pain by relieving pressure on joints, restoring range of motion, and improving nerve function.
When combined with manual therapy, physical therapy treatments like targeted stretching and strengthening exercises have been shown to reduce neck pain. Most of these strategies can be adopted as a home program to help you address your neck pain when it’s bothering you the most.
Adopting healthier habits can have a significant impact on your management of neck pain. These include:
● Practicing improved posture, including using lumbar support in your desk chair and car
● Exercising regularly and using proper lifting techniques to avoid strains
● Engaging in yoga or meditation
● Proper nutrition
● Adequate sleep
One of the primary goals of physical therapy is to address whole-body well-being by encouraging improved overall health. In many situations, strengthening your body’s immune response, improving your nutritional habits by limiting the consumption of processed foods, red meats, and alcohol, and reducing your sugar consumption and dairy intake can lead to less inflammation and sensitivity to pain.
At New You Health and Wellness, our physical therapists will provide you with the tools to resolve your pain and improve your health for lasting relief!
Request an appointment today!
If you’re struggling with recurring headaches that seem to be connected to your neck, call New You Health and Wellness today for a comprehensive assessment.
We’re here to help you alleviate your pain once and for all!
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507862/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5994516/ https://www.physio-pedia.com/Cervicogenic_Headache