Most people will at some time in their life suffer from a headache.
Headaches affect two thirds of the population.
When it comes to headaches, women seem to win the race.
Women are three times more likely to suffer from headaches than men.
Research has also shown that females have a faster trigger for activating the brain waves that produce migraines.
Headaches come in many forms.
The two main ones are tension headaches and migraines.
Migraines can be very severe and debilitating. Even though the actual cause is unknown, there may be triggers. These include hormonal changes, foods, beverages, strong odours, a lack of sleep and increased stress.
They are usually one-sided and cause a pulsating pain. Migranes are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances and a hypersensitivity to light, noise and smells.
People complain that they are unable to carry out activities of daily living due to the extreme pain.
Some migraines first have an ‘aura’ before the migraine. This is a visual disturbance that may present as blind spots, light flashes or sparks.
Tension headaches affect the entire head with a dull ache and increased pressure. They begin slowly above the eyes and cause tightness across the back of the neck. They may last hours or days and are worse towards the end of the day.
Some psychological factors such as anxiety and stress may cause the tension type headache. Incorrect posture, incorrect sitting position or computer layout may cause an increase in tension in certain muscles.
It is not uncommon to suffer from a migraine and tension headache all at once.
Research shows that before puberty, males suffer from more headaches than females. After puberty, headaches become more common in females. This is often linked to their menstrual cycle and hormone levels.
70 percent of females link their migraines and headaches to their cycle. Oestrogen plays a key role in the female’s menstrual cycle and pregnancy and it may affect the chemicals in the brain.
Steady levels of oestrogen may improve headaches whereas a low or high level may increase the headache.
In pregnancy, there is a rapid increase in oestrogen which remains like this during pregnancy.
The migraines might improve, but the tension headaches remain.
After the baby is delivered, there is a rapid decrease in oestrogen. There is then stress, lack of sleep and irregular eating patterns that may trigger the migraines and tension headaches again.
During pre-menopause, migraines may become worse.
Some women say that the migraines disappear once they are in their menopausal stage, but the tension headaches remain.
Research has shown that obesity increases the risk of headaches too.
A body mass index (BMI) of 40 increases the chances of a headache by eighty percent!
How can physiotherapy help you?
A person with a tension headache and neck stiffness will most likely respond to physiotherapy.
We may also be able to help alleviate the headaches that accompany pregnancy.
It is absolutely safe to have physiotherapy during pregnancy.
We will assess your neck and headaches, diagnose the severity, and treat you using scientific research.
We are a very hands-on physiotherapy practice.
If we find there are other factors contributing to your headaches we will point you in the right direction.
We concentrate on re-correcting the neck stiffness and any other factors that may be contributing to the headaches such as posture, ergonomics and pillows.
Massage will help to alleviate the muscle tightness and muscular trigger points.
Spinal joint mobilisations are passive movements applied to the cervical vertebrae with the aim to restore pain-free range of motion in each of the cervical joints.
Stretches will be shown to increase the muscle length. A home exercise program will be given so that you may maintain the stretches daily.
Muscle strengthening exercises will be added to your daily routine.
Muscle weakness has shown to contribute to neck problems and postural problems.
We will work on your posture and how to sit, especially at a computer. An ergonomic assessment will be done.
Incorrect sitting due to incorrect posture, workstation heights and computer placement may put your joints into unfavourable positions.
We will use dry needling and strapping to aid in the treatment.
For more details, contact Nadia Groenewald Physiotherapy on 011 974-9005.
