“Does physical therapy help headaches?”
I have chronic headaches. I want to treat it. Does physical therapy help headaches?
11 Answers
About 80% headaches are cervicogenic. Physical therapy does treat neck pain and therefore would ease majority headache patients.
There are too many causes of headaches to say that PT helps all of them. For the most part it usually does not make it worse. Cluster headaches, tension headaches, migraines, with or without Aura's, occipital headaches, etc, etc. Each has a different w/u and treatment, some PT is very helpful.
It may to some extent. Proper stretching of the tight services muscles can alleviate spasm and lessen the headache.
It can, depending on the type of headache. Many headaches are related to tension in the muscles of the neck and skull and a PT can certainly address this. Additionally, ask if your PT treats TMJ and incorporate this into treatment if this is an issue for you.
Every out patient physical therapist should be able to help you manage your headache pain. Most states have some form of direct access where you can see a PT without having to see an MD first, and if it is something that they can help with, they will.
It depends on the cause of the headaches. If it is posture or muscle related there’s a lot of things Physical Therapy can do to help you. You should see a doctor or physical therapist near you to be fully evaluated
It can if the pain generator for the headache comes from the neck. Please have your headaches evaluated to identify what kind they are.
There are different types of headaches that could be triggered from different sources. Tension headaches tend to be associated with muscle pain, which is a symptom of certain conditions, but not a condition in itself. Consult with your nearest physician to identify what could be the factor that is triggering your headaches.
Headaches can have many origins, however, commonly they are triggered and/or caused by myofascial components, which can be treated and successfully cured with manual therapy.
Physical therapy ideally is geared towards improving strength, functionality and movement. However, in some cases of tension type headache, the use of physical therapy modalities can prove to be beneficial. Please seek out a competent therapist with experience dealing with chronic relapsing headaches before accepting this as your treatment option. Good luck!
Physical therapy can help with some headaches. It can help when headaches are generated by problems in the cervical spine like muscle spasm and arthritis, as well as muscle tension headaches
