Did you know that the World Health Organisation estimates that headaches affect about 50% of people globally each year? Head and neck pain is one of the most common reasons for which people come to see an osteopath. Headache can be debilitating and can impair your quality of life. It can lead to substantial personal suffering and expense.

There are many reasons for headache, some caused by underlying health conditions or medications. Primary headache disorders include migraine, tension type and cluster headache. In addition, cervicogenic headache is recognised, where pain is referred from bony or soft tissue structures in the neck. Each of these headaches has certain characteristics which facilitate diagnosis and management. Your osteopath is trained to recognise these characteristics as well as how to manage them or when to refer you to appropriate practitioners.

Cervicogenic headaches are commonly successfully managed by osteopaths. Your osteopath will conduct a thorough assessment in order to diagnose the type of headache, which will include a postural assessment, motion testing of the neck, back and shoulder, special orthopaedic tests and neurological testing as required.

Osteopathic manual therapy can be an important management strategy and may include a wide variety of technique modalities, depending on your individual needs. These techniques range from gentle tissue based approaches to joint manipulations, again depending upon your individual needs. Your osteopath will also often prescribe exercises, postural awareness instructions and stress or lifestyle management advice.

In short, there is help available!

If you or someone you know suffers with headaches, it is important they receive good care in a timely manner, so call us on (07) 5659 2727.