You Can Get Relief for Your Persistent Headaches with In-Home Physical Therapy
If you’re suffering from stress-related headaches that are interfering with your everyday life, it’s time to consider physical therapy as a treatment option. Tension headaches, also known as stress headaches, are the most common form of headache that people suffer from.
Tension headaches, while not as severe as migraines, are a warning that something in your body is “wrong.” Our in-home physical therapists will help you figure out what’s causing your tension headaches and how to get rid of them for good.
Common causes of headaches
One of the main causes of stress-related headaches is right there in the name: stress. The headache generally happens when the muscles in the neck or scalp become tense and contract.
Depression and anxiety are similar emotions to stress that can also lead to headaches. In addition, there may be a physical cause behind your stress-related headaches. An accident or injury to the neck or back can contribute to headaches. Poor posture and arthritis are two other potential causes.
Why choose in-home physical therapy for headaches
The condition will play a role in the treatment of your stress-related headaches. If your headaches are the product of a previous injury, for example, one course of therapy that might work for correcting your posture and strengthening your neck muscles may not be sufficient.
In general, you can expect stretching and strength training to be part of your in-home treatments. Other options that your physical therapist might employ can include:
- McKenzie therapies
- Cervical traction
- Body mobilization
- Hot and cold compressions
- Soft tissue mobilization
Aside from your physical therapy sessions at home, your therapist will also recommend exercises, stretches, and lifestyle changes that you can make, which will all contribute to eliminating your headaches.
What is the goal of physical therapy for headaches?
Your in-home physical therapist’s main goal would be to remove your stress-related headaches – all from the convenience of your own home. You will, however, reap additional benefits in addition to relaxation that will possibly increase your overall quality of life:
- Increased strength: Your therapist will teach you exercises to strengthen your neck and upper back, which will lead to improved posture. With better posture, you will be able to stand and sit longer without experiencing discomfort.
- Improved posture. Bad posture is really one of the leading causes of stress-related headaches. If you don’t enjoy good posture throughout the day, it is likely to lead to more generalized aches and pains, as well as the muscle tension that contributes to stress-related headaches.
- Neck tension relief. You will have better range of motion in your neck and reduced tension, thanks to manual physical therapy techniques applied to the muscles there.
Other ways in-home PT can help alleviate headache pain
Our physical therapist can help you get to the bottom of your headache problem.
If your headache is cervinogenic in nature, we may need to work on your neck. For instance:
- Your physical therapist will assist you in identifying additional migraine causes and developing techniques to prevent them in your daily life.
- If your migraines are the result of a recent concussion, a carefully-administered course of physical therapy can actually help you recuperate from that concussion more quickly.
- Text neck and other workplace headache causes can be avoided with corrective exercises and postural/ergonomic shifts.
- Laser therapy and massage therapy can both relax tight neck tissues and speed recovery to injured muscles.
- Chiropractic adjustment can correct skeletal misalignment issues that place your neck muscles under unnatural strain. These adjustments can also help to reduce cluster headache attacks.
- Exercises that strengthen and loosen your neck muscles can help to ease the stresses that set off your headaches.
How does a PT diagnose chronic headaches?
Your PT will work with you to diagnose your headaches before beginning your in-home physical therapy treatments. The therapist will ask about your medical history. If you had a neck, back, or jaw injury years ago, it’s possible that it’s still causing headaches today. The position of your pain, such as your ears, back of your neck, or forehead, may also aid in determining the source.
Your physical therapist will likely run you through some tests as part of the diagnosis phase. For example, your posture will be checked as you engage in several activities. The strength of your muscles and the range of motion in your neck and shoulders will be tested. Your therapist might do some manual therapy to see how mobile your neck joints are.
Once the cause of your stress-related headaches is determined, a customized course of physical therapy can be prescribed to treat them, that you can do at home on your own time.
Find relief for your stress-related headaches today
What are you waiting for? Stress-related headaches can be a thing of the past for you, after working with a physical therapist to correct the problem at home. Contact Holistic Physical Therapy today to schedule your first in-home appointment.
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Tags: Natural Treatment, Natural Pain Relief, Aches and Pains, Chronic Pain, Tension Headaches, physical therapy, physical therapists, nutrition, physical activity, opioids, Rehabilitation, physical health, Joint pain
