Neck Pain and Headaches
What Is Neck Pain?
Your neck is made up of bones called vertebrae that connect to your skull and extend to your torso. These vertebrae, ligaments and muscles of your neck support your head and allow it to move around. Therefore, neck pain can manifest as stiffness, aching, dizziness or headaches. You may also experience pain elsewhere, such as the shoulders.
What Are Headaches?
Just about everybody has experienced a headache, as they are the most common pain symptom experienced by humans.But the pain experienced when you have a headache is not actually your brain. The pain actually occurs in the vessels, muscles and nerves of your head and neck. This may make you feel like your skull, brain or neck are hurting.
Common types of headaches include cluster headaches, migraine headaches and tension headaches.
What Causes Neck Pain?
The neck is an incredible structure that supports the weight and movement of your head but this leaves it prone to injury, discomfort and pain. Neck pain can be caused by poor neck positioning and posture when sleeping (e.g. if you are a regular stomach sleeper). It can also be caused by poor neck positioning and posture during your daily activities (e.g. if you work regularly hunched at a desk/computer). Both of these things can trigger stiffness, injury and inflammation in your neck.
Poor posture, as well as ageing, injury and disease can all cause muscle strain, worn joints and nerve compression that can attribute to neck pain and headaches. A physiotherapist is well educated and skilled to be able to diagnose and treat neck pain and headaches, relieving the pain and hindering their recurrence.
What Causes Headaches?
Because headaches are so common, they have a wide range of causes. Common causes include excessive tension built up in the back, shoulders, neck or jaw as with TMJ dysfunction; headaches from injury or headaches caused by irritation or compression of the nerves that supply the head, face and neck.
How Can My Therapist Group Treat My Neck Pain and Headaches?
The most common kind of headaches that a physiotherapist treats are headaches caused by tension that in the muscles of the back and neck. Physiotherapy can be extremely effective for relieving neck pain and headaches and to stop their recurrence. The physiotherapists at My Therapist Group will use evidence based techniques such as massage therapy, and stretching techniques to relieve the tension causing your headaches and neck pain. We may also offer exercises, stretches, massage therapy and education about neck positioning.
You do not need a referral to come and see a physiotherapist at My Therapist Group. The physiotherapists at My Therapist Group are able to assess and diagnose your neck pain, headache or migraine disorder and point you in the direction of an appropriate health practitioner if required.