Relieve Headaches and Migraines with Physical Therapy

Can Physical Therapy Help Relieve Headaches?

In short, Yes!

“How can physical therapy help relieve pain in my head?”

Physical Therapy can help relieve headaches through several different methods including Dry Needling, posture education and correction, Fascial Stretching, and Cupping Therapy. This may seem like too much to understand, but just ask your physical therapist what method of therapy is best for your pain. They will be sure to set up the best plan of care to get you back to feeling better.

Dry needling can help relieve pain by finding active trigger points in the muscles around the head and neck to release tension and in turn, relieve some of the pain in your head.

Postural education and correction are important when it comes to issues with headaches. Physical Therapists can analyze your posture and make sure that you are not causing any extra stress and discomfort on your body because of poor posture, and then offer the right plan to correct any imbalances or issues that may be causing unnecessary headaches.

Fascial Stretching releases the extra flexibility that is locked up in our joints. The stretching can be done on different parts of your body, and your physical therapist knows what to do to relieve pain in your head. It’s amazing how much tightness in other parts of your body impacts your neck and back.

Cupping Therapy promotes blood circulation, homeostasis, stretching, and reduces tissue tightness and muscle weaknesses. Again, if done in the correct area of the body, it can relieve pressure and pain of the neck and result in relief of tension headaches and other pain.

What about Migraines?

Migraines involve more physical and neurological issues than headaches. Because of this, they are more difficult to treat and may take a combination of treatments. Many of the methods of therapy used for dealing with headaches would be used to help treat migraines. Read this excerpt from the Migraine Relief Center website regarding physical therapy and migraines:

“Migraine pain may be caused by a disorder of the central nervous system, meaning it involves the brain and the spinal cord, nerves and blood vessels. These disorders come together and produce the neurologic symptoms that are familiar in the migraine condition.
Traditional medications usually work to address the dysfunction in the central nervous system, and this is where physical therapies differ. Physical therapies concentrate on the peripheral systems, working on the joints and muscles surrounding the affected parts of the body.
How effective physical therapy is in treating or preventing migraine depends to a degree on how closely your migraine is associated with problems in the muscles and joints. The main goal of this type of treatment is to restore or improve your ability to function independently, and to decrease the impact your condition has on your life. ”

You don’t have to live with your headaches or migraines. We know how hard it is to live with a headache that feels like this ->

Give us a call today at (602) 808-8989 to get in and see what your physical therapist how they can help you relieve your headaches and migraines, and watch your life improve!

Tags: Back pain, Cupping, Dry Needling, fascial stretching, headache relief, headaches, help, migraines, Neck Pain, Pain, Physical Therapy, relief, tension headaches