By: Jacqueline Armour PT, DPT – Board-certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist and Vestibular Therapist
Did you know Physical Therapists are part of the healthcare team helping to manage certain types of headaches and migraines? Here are 3 types that our team is specialized in treating:
Cervicogenic Headaches
These typically start as a dull ache in the neck that radiates upward along the back of the head on one side towards the forehead/temple. This headache is related to an underlying cause in the neck, but doesn’t always involve neck pain.
Physical therapists can assess and treat the root cause of this through a variety of techniques including manual therapy and postural training.
Our team also utilizes the Neubie electrical stimulation tool to help with pain management, flexibility, and to promote a more relaxed state for your body to heal.
Post-traumatic Headache due to Concussion
This is the most common symptom of a concussion / mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and can delay the return to sport, school and work. Don’t let this type of headache hold you back!
A post-traumatic headache can be due to a variety of factors, including a whiplash injury to the neck, migraine, tension, cognitive-fatigue, or medication overuse.
Early management is important to decrease the likelihood of the headache evolving into a chronic one.
Vestibular Migraines
This unique type of migraine is closely linked to your balance system and can lead to feeling like you’re spinning, moving, or falling, even when you’re sitting or standing still.
A headache isn’t always present during these “attacks,” but you may experience other migraine-type symptoms including sensitivity to light or sound.
Treatment involves a team of specialists. Try to start tracking your triggers before you see your provider.
Physical therapy will help you to reduce the dizzy symptoms and your risk of falling. Exercise is gradually restarted when you’re not experiencing a “vertigo spell.” Staying active is an important part of your recovery!
Our team knows how disabling these headaches and migraines can be on your daily life and we want to help you.