Neck Pain & Headaches
Had a headache lately?
Those of you who sit at a computer for a big chunk of the day and suspect that your poor work posture may contribute to your headaches then read this!
Headache symptoms include:
- dull ache in the forehead or base of the skull
- sharp or dull pain behind the eye
- sense of a aura above the head
- sensitivity to light
- occurring on one or both sides of the head
- occurs with neck pain and
- aggravated by sustained neck postures or movement,
- slowly builds over a few days or weeks
- gives the patient joint tenderness in at least one of the upper three cervical joints as detected by physiotherapists assessment,
- nausea or dizziness and a headache frequency of at least one per week over a period of the last 2 months to 10 years.
Headaches are common among the office worker population, you do not have to live with them!
Causes
There are fourteen known causes of headache, common presentations in the clinic include tension ( trigger point / upper neck joint stiffness) headaches, and the dreaded migraine. Occasionally we see synaster and serious disease with headaches being inclusive of their symptoms.
Stress plays a big role in headaches and along with poor posture can combine to create a headache.
As the muscles of the back and upper neck tighten over a long week at the computer, this tension is transferred into the joints of the upper neck resulting in stiff joints. The stiff and dysfunctional joints of the neck then aggravate nerves which create headaches in a distribution that includes the forehead and back of the skull, over the eye brow or even behind the eye.
Treatment
Physiotherapy is recommended as a first line of management.
The Quay Fitness physiotherapist is trained in treating headaches, aiming to restore movement in the neck joints, relaxing tense muscles and strengthening the neck and shoulder complex.
Posture while sitting at your desk is a common causative factor in tension headaches. It is therefore necessary to setup your workstation to minimise your risk. Physiotherapists are able to provide you with a step by step way of organising your work environment to ensure it is set up to individually to suit you.
It is essential that you maintain good posture when reading and working. Specific exercises demonstrated by the Quay Fitness Physio, and designed specifically for your individual requirements can help you to maintain a flexible and strong neck and shoulder muscles.
Tension headaches usually respond well to treatment however see your General Practitioner if headaches are severe, persistent, recurrent, or accompanied by other symptoms such as drowsiness, vision changes, changes in movement.
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Regards
Ben Wong