Cervicogenic headaches are the reason for your troublesome time. When they occur, you will not be able to focus on work or do anything, as it causes excruciating pain in the head and nearby areas. Although you can treat it with traditional medications, physiotherapy for neck pain and cervicogenic headaches is considered the best and safest option. You can safely treat your condition with it, as there are methods to treat upper back, neck, muscle, and joint pain. How can you determine if it is cervicogenic headaches or not? Well! It is something that is accompanied by restricted neck movements, pain, nausea, and dizziness. If you are facing all of these, you must go to a physiotherapist for the right solutions. Besides, you can read this blog post for further help.
Cervicogenic headaches and neck anatomy
You may or may not know, but our neck contains 7 different cervical vertebrae. Each of them is stacked on top of the other. In the middle, the bones are soft and spongy discs that are connected with joints. These cervical vertebrae prevent your spinal cord from being compressed and ensure easy side bending, rotation, extension, and side movements of the neck. Talking about the upper vertebrae, they provide support to the skull. There are joints on both sides that let the skull move correctly. In the area of the sub-occipital, many muscles and nerves are present. When it comes to symptoms of cervicogenic headaches, you will experience the following in general:
- Pain in the upper neck that moves toward the temple area, eyes, and forehead
- Headache on one side
- Reduced motion of the neck
- Pain on one or both sides of your head
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Shoulder pain
- Sensitivity to sound or light
You should not ignore the pain at all if it has been there for many days. Quick intervention, along with cervicogenic headache treatment exercises, can fix the issue and prevent further damage.
Physiotherapy treatment for cervicogenic headaches
When you consult a physiotherapist, he or she will conduct a thorough assessment. They will assess the condition by palpating your skull and neck area. During evaluation, they will record the strength, motion, and other aspects of the neck. Based on their assessment, they will suggest a customized treatment plan to offer maximum benefits.
Physiotherapy for neck pain typically includes the following:
· Ice therapy: In this, ice packs are applied to the skull and neck areas to decrease the inflammation and pain.
· Heat therapy: This is specifically used to improve blood flow and relax the tensed muscles before neck stretching.
· Traction: It is something that is given by a machine or by hand. Through this, cervicogenic pain starts to reduce. Along with this, it is useful for decompressing the joints and discs of the neck to improve movements and motions. In addition, a physiotherapist can also perform joint mobilization and soft tissue manipulation to decrease pain and improve comfort.
· TENS: Stands for the Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation, which is the best way to stimulate the muscles of the neck. It is quite effective when it comes to improving the cervicogenic headache symptoms and decreasing the pain.
· Vestibular therapy: Another effective solution for neck pain caused by cervicogenic headaches is vestibular therapy. This is specifically conducted when these pains cause dizziness and vertigo. In this therapy, stabilization exercises are performed, specifically for the head, gaze, and neck. It is generally used to improve the functions of your vestibular system.
· Soft tissue manipulation: It is one of the most relaxing ways to help you deal with the cervicogenic headaches and related issues. With this, tight muscles start to loosen up. Sometimes, sub-occipital techniques are also used to improve the functions and movements of the muscles present around the neck and skull. All these are great ways to improve neck motion and eliminate nerve irritation.
· Exercises: Keeping the condition and severity in mind, certain exercises are advised. A good physiotherapist usually suggests exercises that can improve the motion of your neck and decrease the excessive pressure that you are feeling while rotating, side-bending, flexing, or moving the neck.
· Postural correction: This is one of the most common options added to any treatment plan for cervicogenic. You may or may not be aware of the fact, but bad posture can put extra pressure on your head, neck, and back. If you ignore it, it can convert into cervicogenic headaches. Therefore, you will be provided with the techniques for posture correction, along with ergonomic adjustments to feel relaxed.
The bottom line
Even though you can try other treatments, physiotherapy for neck pain caused by cervicogenic headaches is considered the safest. However, you should only consult an expert who knows how to treat such a condition. For instance, you can count on PHYSIO REVIVE. With experienced team members, they can help you eliminate the discomfort and provide relief to enjoy a normal life.