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Thousands of Australians suffer from intensely painful and debilitating headaches. According to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, a primary headache is triggered by “problems with or over activity of pain-sensitive structures in your head.”
Moreover, the muscles of your head and neck, the nerves or blood vessels surrounding your skull, chemical activity in your brain, or a combination of these factors can cause headaches. These headaches frequently reoccur, particularly migraines.
Migraine Headaches
Migraines are a disorder we see frequently at The Brisbane Spine Clinic. Migraines are a severe and debilitating throbbing headache that is often accompanied by overwhelming nausea and a strong sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines that are left untreated can have a significant impact on the quality of one’s life.
Common migraine symptoms include:
- Moderate to severe pain
- Pain is confined to one side of your head
- Movement exacerbates pain
- Strong sensitivity to light and sound
- Disturbed vision
- Nausea or vomiting
Introducing The Watson Headache Approach
At The Brisbane Spine Clinic, our skilled physiotherapists employ the Watson Headache approach as a key method in diagnosing headache conditions. This approach is a method of examining and managing the movements of the top three spinal segments of the neck.
This approach involves no medication, is radiation free, non-invasive and does not require injections. It comprises of a series of non-manipulative techniques that do not involve cracking the vertebrae.
How Does It Help Diagnose Headache Conditions?
The technique identifies if the source of the headaches is musculoskeletal in origin, caused by a mechanical dysfunction in the top three vertebrae. If this is shown to be the case, a qualified physiotherapist such as those practicing at The Brisbane Spine Clinic in Eight Mile Plains may be able to assist in relieving the symptoms.
What Happens During The Assessment?
Your physiotherapist uses a number of diagnostic techniques to prove the link between your neck and your headaches. We gently reproduce your headache symptoms for a few seconds before reversing them ensuring your brief headache recedes.
Once your physiotherapist has clearly identified which vertebrae are involved in triggering your headaches, your personal physiotherapy treatment program can be developed.
This headache treatment involves applying gentle yet selective stress to the specific cervical segments of the neck identified in your diagnosis. This helps manage your headache and migraine condition effectively to achieve tangible results in the shortest time.
Physiotherapy for headaches does not involve ‘aggressively manipulating’ or ‘cracking’ the neck during your treatment consultations.
You will also be provided with exercises you can do in your own home together with guidelines on what steps to take during your next headache.
Your Gateway To The Watson Headache Approach
Managing a headache frequently involves striking a balance between a healthy lifestyle and an effective non-drug based treatment regime. If you have experienced your headache or a migraine for:
- Longer than 3 months
- Tests involving CT or MRI scans discovered no specific findings for the cause of your recurring headaches and
- Pain medication only provides temporary respite
Then we recommend you book an appointment with our trained clinician, Mr. Leo Hyun. If you are finding your headaches are disrupting your life or you find you are having to resort to medication to manage your symptoms more than once a week, our Watson Headache Certified approach provides us with a better chance of developing a migraine treatment which gets at the cause of your stubborn headaches.
Sang Bin (Leo) Hyun is a Watson Headache Certified Practitioner, Spinal Consultant and Co-Founder of The Brisbane Spine Clinic. His sub-specialty interest and expertise is in spinal related conditions. While not all headaches are the same, they all share one thing in common; they cause frustrating and unwanted pain.
Consult A Qualified Physiotherapist About Your Persistent Headache
Call to discuss the benefits the Watson Headache approach may bring to your condition. Book an appointment with The Brisbane Spine Clinic or contact us on 07 3841 3070 today!
*Please note, content within this article is for educational purposes only and treatment and advice mentioned may not be suited for everyone. Please consult a team member at the Brisbane Spine Clinic or your General Practitioner for specific advice.