Treating Headaches and Neck Pain with Osteopathy
Has anyone ever not suffered from headaches or neck pain? Highly unlikely.
Headaches
You know the symptoms – from dull ache to throbbing pain. Headaches can be caused by a variety of reasons, including
- Viral illness such as the common cold or influenza
- Tension headaches from tight muscles in the neck, shoulders and upper back
- Vascular headaches or migraines
- Stress
- Cervicogenic headaches emanating from the joints in the cervical spine
- Injury to the neck or head
- Emotional upheaval
- Dehydration
- Hormonal related
- Dietary related
- Tumour or illness
Our osteopaths at Williamstown Osteopathy and Pilates can help you if you suffer from headaches. A full medical history will be taken in order to assess how best to treat you. We look at the whole body and work with you to formulate an appropriate treatment plan that suits you. Osteopathic treatment methods may include soft tissue massage, trigger point release, myofascial techniques, gentle stretching, posture correction and core strengthening through Pilates, etc.
Neck Pain
People of all ages suffer from neck pain at one time or another, including children. Chronic neck pain can have a huge impact on the quality of life, restricting recreation, work, and sleep, and is yet another trigger for headaches. There can be a variety of causes from injury and trauma, poor posture (especially in front of a computer), etc, to your pillow or the way you sleep.
The immediate assumption is that neck pain comes from the neck. Not so. It is more likely to be a problem in another part of the body where there is restricted movement and the body is compensating. Find the source, and you can better fix the problem. It could be the pelvis, mid-low back, ribs or shoulders. Your body tries to keep the eyes level, so if the bottom part of your body is out of skew, compensation will occur in the neck and shoulders by tensing the muscles there.
Our osteopaths will examine the whole picture, looking for the underlying cause of your neck pain, before determining the best treatment program for you. They will also determine if your problem is of a more serious nature, and refer you for the most appropriate treatment.
Rest assured, you are in good hands at Williamstown Osteopathy and Pilates. Call today for an assessment on (03) 9397 8877. We are here to restore your health.
