Are you struggling with headaches that occur almost daily, or at least 15 days during every month? It’s likely that you’re one of the 1.7% to 4% of adults in the world who struggle with some form of headache disorder. Headaches, especially chronic ones, can interrupt daily routines and cause significant emotional distress. You may be wondering what’s causing your headaches. You can learn this information in addition to how PT can improve your symptoms in the sections below.
What might cause chronic or daily headaches to occur?
These are some common causes of frequent headaches:
- Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder — TMJ disorders involve inflammation of the joints that hinge the bottom jaw to the skull. When they become inflamed, they can make chewing, talking, and opening the jaw feel difficult and even painful. In many cases, TMJ disorders can lead to stiffness and tension in the muscles around the jaw but also in the muscles in the head and neck. The buildup of tension in the muscles can lead to frequent headaches for some patients.
- Muscle tension — Stress and repetitive overuse can contribute to muscle tension anywhere in the body. When muscles in the neck and shoulders become tense, it can trigger frequent headaches to occur.
- Tension headaches — Tension headaches most often result from stress. They’re usually described as a type of headache that causes pain and tension in a section of the upper head. Some people report feeling like a large, tight rubber band is wrapped around the top half of their heads.
- Cervicogenic headaches — Cervicogenic headaches are associated with a disorder or condition related to the cervical spine, or the neck. Cervicogenic headaches can be caused by inflammation, tumor growths, fractures, and even infections that affect the spine.
- Migraines — Migraines are neurological conditions that can cause daily or chronic headaches. These are a type of headache that can cause intense, pulsing, or throbbing sensations, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and even visual disturbances like auras or spots. Migraines can be triggered by changes in hormones, stress, certain foods, caffeine and exercise.
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) — TBIs can result from car accidents, sports injuries, assault and many other types of injuries. Traumatic brain injuries can range from mild to severe, but should always be taken seriously. Symptoms include confusion, nausea, dizziness, blurry vision and even headaches. In fact, chronic post-traumatic headaches occur at a rate of 47% to 95% in mild concussion cases. Chronic headaches are very common in people with a TBI, especially for the first year after an injury.
How can physical therapy address chronic and daily headaches?
Physical therapy can help alleviate some of the symptoms of chronic and daily headaches. Take a look through some of the ways that PT can help someone improve their headaches:
- Building strength in the neck and shoulders — A physical therapist can help you address your headaches by building muscle strength. In many cases, headaches are rooted in muscle tension, so building the strength of the muscles in your neck and shoulders can release some of the tension that has built up. It’s more likely to help reduce the frequency and severity of tension headaches over time.
- Addressing any cervicogenic conditions — PT can also be helpful if your headaches are rooted in cervicogenic conditions. They can determine what condition you’re most likely dealing with and improve the condition of your cervical spine and neck.
- Biofeedback — Some physical therapists use biofeedback systems to measure your body’s responses to certain external stimuli. These measurements can help determine the most effective treatments for your symptoms and determine what the most likely triggers of your headaches are.
Find treatment for chronic daily headaches at Border Therapy Services
Border Therapy Services wants to help you deal with any headache disorder that may be impacting your quality of life. We want to help you manage your symptoms as well as prevent them from recurring. Do you experience frequent headache pain? We encourage you to seek help from our team of experienced physical therapy professionals. We provide compassionate, expert care to each of our patients. At Border TS, we can help treat your condition at its source. You don’t have to struggle with your symptoms any more than you already have.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment with one of our knowledgeable specialists.