Most of us have had more than our fair share of headaches! They are very common and can be influenced by stress, sleeping positions, posture, work and exercise habits. The most common types of headaches are tension headaches, neck headaches and migraines. If you experience headaches, you know how frustrating and debilitating they can be.
Tension headaches feel like a tight band around your head and can often be the result of muscle tightness in the head, neck or jaw. They can be caused by poor posture in the back, neck and shoulders. Many of us are finding ourselves sitting at a computer more than we ever have in the past, causing poor posture and in return increasing the frequency of headaches. When we experience emotional stress; another thing many of us are familiar with these days, our bodies release adrenaline which can increase the tightness in the upper body, lower our pain tolerance and reduce the body’s ability to release endorphins which are helpful for relieving pain. Therefore, poor posture and emotional stress often lead to those dreaded headaches!
Neck headaches cause pain which is the result of an underlying neck issue. The pain from a neck headache can stem from the lining of the cervical spine, joints, ligaments, nerves and muscles that are part of the neck region. Many of the symptoms of neck headaches are similar to those of tension headaches so it is important to seek an assessment from a registered physiotherapist to help you determine the source of your headaches.
Migraines are another type of headache that can have a variety of symptoms and are different for each individual. These headaches often involve throbbing pain and a host of other symptoms including nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound as well as auras which are visual disturbances. Although many people suffer from migraines there is little known about what causes them. For some people genetics, environmental factors and hormones play a role. For others foods, stress, lack of sleep and exposure to sensory stimuli can trigger a migraine.
It’s always a good idea to discuss your headaches with your family physician and be sure to watch for any red flags such as vision changes, weakness in your limbs, headaches that are persistent and don’t respond to pain relief or anything that doesn’t feel like your “normal” headache.
The good news is that physiotherapy can help alleviate the pain and frequency of headaches which means you don’t have to suffer anymore! A thorough assessment from one of the registered physiotherapists at A Body In Motion Rehabilitation can help determine the cause of your headaches and will help you learn how to change daily habits that may be contributing to your headaches such as your posture, your work environment, poor sleeping positions and incorrect exercises. Contact us at A Body In Motion Rehabilitation and we can get you started on a treatment plan so that you can get rid of your headaches once and for all!
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