Have you ever had a headache/migraine so bad that you couldn’t get out of bed and all you wanted to do was hide in the dark? Are you trying to stop or reduce the amount of pain medication (either prescription or over the counter) that you are taking to stop or cure your headaches?
Headaches and migraines can be annoying and often they seem to come out of nowhere, stopping us in our tracks with being able to focus, sleep and function. Not to mention making us feel irritable and Yuck!
The good news? We can help! Whether you’re experiencing migraines or tension headaches, almost all of these are at least partially (if not completely) caused by tension in the muscles and fascia of the head, neck, shoulders & jaw/face areas – our specialty!
A Personal Success Story
We hear this all the time just like Kathy shared. Many of our patients come to us looking for help despite trying many treatment options (sometimes they’ve seen dozens of other providers)!
We are so grateful Kathy (and many others) have been able to find relief in working with our team and our unique treatment approach integrating the very best of the traditional science-based Physical Therapy world with John Barnes’ Myofascial Release; assessing/treating the whole body and how it all is connected/works together and several other powerful specialties too.
Are you or a loved one suffering from headaches? They are super common as over 50% of people have to deal with these debilitating little buggers at one point or another in life.
Many people might think their headaches are different or unique as they can vary so much. Perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with migraine or tension headaches, or your headaches might vary depending on location, intensity, duration and frequency. You might feel like they’re sometimes mild and may be cured for the time being with over the counter medication, darkness, rest and even food. Others may be long lasting and require more attention or medication to get over them.
But what do these all have in common?? Regardless of how your headaches are presenting, tension in your face, jaw, head, neck and shoulder fascia and muscles is a big factor and making things much, much worse! When these muscles and connective tissues become tight and stiff, they can cause pain in many of these sensitive structures around our head, neck and face/jaw.
Other Options to Medication
There are other options to consider other than medication to solve your headache issues. Consider the following:
- Diet – oftentimes what you eat could be causing your headaches – wine, chocolate, cheese and highly caffeinated drinks are common dietary causes of headaches.
- Hydration – Headaches can be caused by not drinking enough water each day.
- Sleep – getting enough sleep each night. Having a sleep routine is key and sleep position may be contributing to your headaches.
- Keeping a headache diary – this can assist to spot trends or common underlying themes to your headaches.
- Working with a highly trained physical therapist specializing in headaches (like our team!)- Your physical therapist should take time to learn your story and listen to your concerns. They will assess your whole body to see what may be the root cause of your headaches. Headaches can be caused by many different things and your therapist will look at all areas of your body and how they are connected to bring you a solution.
At the end of the day, even if you’re experiencing triggers like stress, diet, sleep, smells or hydration, easing up your tension in your muscles & connective tissues will greatly help make your headaches or migraines less intense, less easily triggered, occur less often and may even help them go away altogether!
We love helping our patients recover from their chronic symptoms, especially when other approaches have failed. It’s truly a joy and honor to help wonderful people like Kathy!
We have helped hundreds of clients throughout the Lake Country area and we are confident that we can help you too.
We offer many great FREE resources to help relieve your headache pain.
For tips on easing head and neck pain, click here to request our FREE headache and jaw pain guide: https://balancewithinpt.com/friends-and-family/
We’re also offering a handful of FREE Headache & Migraine Consults with our Expert Doctors of Physical Therapy to answer your questions and help you start troubleshooting things! Request one here.
