The Emergence of Physical Therapy as Migraine Treatment
For many people, hearing about physical therapy is all about muscular and sports-related injury treatment. Physical therapy is not just about that but is now taking on a holistic approach to well-being and overall physical health. In the medical community, PT or physical therapy is said to be underutilized in its many medical applications. One particular avenue where it is steadily gaining ground is its use in the treatment of migraine or chronic headaches.
Targeting Biomechanical Triggers
PT in migraine treatment focuses on mechanical triggers that cause headaches and migraines. The key, medical experts in the field says, is in identifying the type of the headache in order to isolate what is actually causing them. To be specific, experts in the field work on postural, gentle joint mobilization, myofascial release, light strengthening, and conditioning to improve postural control. These are all angled towards physical causes of headaches and physical therapy is the one area of medical science that is equipped to target these causes.
Reasons Why Physical Therapy Is Underutilized For Migraine Treatment
Perhaps the most glaring reason why physical therapy is not looked at as a solution for headaches and migraines is the dependence of people on painkillers as the first go-to solution for headaches. These only target the symptoms and not the actual cause. Another hurdle is the misconception that physical therapy is just for musculature and biomechanical ailments. As such, PT is not strongly associated with the treatment of migraines and headaches. In reality, many of those suffering from headaches also suffer neck pain, stiffness, tension along muscles and other musculature related problems. Sadly, physical therapy does not come into mind during diagnosis of these conditions. The cervical region (upper neck and spine) is prone to stress even when doing just routine activities in a normal workday. Your posture will affect musculature in this area and can cause the dreaded headaches and migraines. Tight and tense muscles in this area can actually be trigger events for migraines.
Tension-Type and Cervicogenic Headache
Not all headaches can be addressed by physical therapy and in the same manner, not all clinics are equipped and have the expertise for effective diagnosis for effective treatment. Look no further and check out https://nydnrehab.com/what-we-treat/neurological-conditions/headaches-migraines/ as they are among the leading and most trusted providers when it comes to providing relief for migraines and headaches. Among the many appealing nature of physical therapy treatment for migraines is that it is very likely to address the problem without the use of drugs. Although not easy to determine and diagnose, cervicogenic headaches account for about fourteen to eighteen percent of headache occurrences. Major indicators would include tenderness of the muscles in the cervical area, cervical pain along with the headache, weakening of the deep neck flexors, and general symptoms associated with pain to the neck.
To Conclude
While it is not common for doctors to prescribe physical therapy for the alleviation of migraine and tension caused headaches, more and more are becoming aware of the powerful impact physical therapy has on general well being of the human body.
