By: Ben Kelto, PT, DPT, CSCS, OCS
Head pain can range from annoying to completely debilitating. They can be a minor inconvenience throughout your day, or they can be so extreme that you have to lay down in a dark room for hours and hours. At any level, no one wants to experience it. So, what do we do?
According to the International Headache Society, there are 14 distinct types of headaches. Along with this, there are a myriad of different types and symptoms of migraines. Finding out what you are suffering with can help get you on the path of moving better and feeling better.
Headaches
Out of the 14 types, two are most common – cervicogenic and tension.
Cervicogenic
A breakdown of this name actually gives us its definition. “Cervico” derives from cervical, or the neck. And “genic” derives from genesis, meaning the beginning. So, this type of headache actually begins with the neck.
Your headache symptoms will largely be on one side where your neck is impacted. This can be caused by overuse from poor posture, and it can also be caused by arthritis or whiplash.
With this type of headache, your neck musculature or joint capsules trigger a reflexive cascade which causes the muscles to go into a protective spasm, which creates tension. You may experience pain radiating into your shoulder and arm.
Tension
A tension headache is caused by some sort of tension within the head or face muscles themselves. These headaches are the most common type of headache and are often the physical manifestation of stress. Your stress reaction can be held in specific muscles in your head and neck, which can actually go on to trigger a cervicogenic headache.
The hallmark symptom of this type of headache is a squeezing sensation on your head. Typically, you will feel a squeezing or pressure band across your forehead or the back of your head.
Migraines
Migraines differ significantly from headaches because they typically are not linked to the neck or fascial tension. They can be triggered by either of these things, but, generally speaking, they are something else entirely.
Migraines are caused by the vascularity of the brain. This means that the blood vessels within the brain impact the occurrence of a migraine. Your symptoms will largely be based on where the blood flow is and where it is dilated within the brain.
When you have a migraine, you are experiencing vascular pain- which is similar to the pain of wearing a tourniquet or smacking your thumb with a hammer. Your blood pulsates and flows to the area of pain, creating a throbbing sensation.
You may have severe, pulsating pain accompanied by being unable to stand bright lights or loud noises. You may also experience nausea and vomiting. It also may start on one side of your head and move towards the other.
It is important to note that really no two migraines are the same- your migraines likely will present differently than someone else’s. However, if you are experiencing a migraine, you are pretty much non-functional until your symptoms subside. This can take anywhere from 4 to 72 hours.
Physical Therapy for Headaches and Migraines
Physical therapy can help the most with cervicogenic and tension type headaches, however, it is limited for migraines. During treatment, we can identify what part of your head, face, and/or neck muscles that are triggering your symptoms. Once we understand the “where” of it, we can start working on the movement or position that is the root cause of your pain.
For migraines, a physical therapist can work to identify if any muscle tension or impaired postures are working to lower your pain threshold, which then triggers a migraine.
Spooner physical therapists can also work to alleviate any tensions or triggers that are contributing to tension/cervicogenic headaches or migraines. While these interventions may not fully resolve your symptoms, we can work together to provide you some relief.
Ready to try relieving migraine and headache pain through physical therapy? Schedule an appointment today and start reclaiming your freedom from chronic headaches.