Headaches can be more complicated than most people realize. Different kinds can have their own set of symptoms, happen for unique reasons, and need different kinds of treatment.
Once you know the type of headache you have, you and your doctor or Physical Therapist can find the treatment that’s most likely to help and even try to prevent them. The most common types of headache treated by physical therapy are tension/stress type, migraine with or without aura, vestibular migraine, cluster, and New Daily persistent headaches.
Treatment will be determined following a mechanical assessment of the upper and lower neck, and will depend on the type of headache. If a movement disorder is uncovered, correcting it will be the first task. A combination of manual therapy, trigger point, soft tissue and dural release may be used to manage symptoms. If the diagnosed headache is of the migraine type, treatment will not cure the migraine, but rather eliminate the cervicogenic trigger(s). A home program is then prescribed to further reduce symptoms and maintain changes obtained through treatment.