Accounts for nearly 90% of all headaches
Pain is typically mild to moderate
Usually presents as pain on both sides of the head
Pain often described as a “constant pressure” or “squeezing sensation”
An episode usually lasts for 4-6 hours
Women are more likely to experience tension headaches than men
Those between 30-39 years of age are at highest risk of developing tension headaches
Contributing Factors
Stress
Sleep deprivation
Bad posture
Prolonged uncomfortable positions
Eyestrain
Hunger
Assessment
Your physiotherapist will perform a subjective and objective assessment to determine the possible causes of your headache. Here at Move Freely we believe that the most important part of addressing any headache issue is determining that actually cause of the headache, this is why the assessment process is so important.
Subjective Assessment will involve asking a series of clinical questions directly related to your pain and symptoms. Examples may include:
Are you aware of anything that triggers your headache/s?
Have you found anything that improves or worsens your headache/s?
Describe your typical day i.e. how long you spend at a desk
Objective Assessment involves your therapist performing various physical tests to find the cause of your headache/s. This usually includes:
Observing your neck, upper back and shoulder movements
Assessing your posture using Kinetisense 3D posture analysis
Performing strength testing of relevant muscles
Assessing the stiffness of joints in your neck and back
Assessing the tightness of muscles around your head, neck, upper back and shoulders
Treatment
Depending on what your therapist finds in your assessment they can perform a variety of treatments to help cure your headache. Examples of this could include:
Deep tissue massage and/or trigger point therapy to relieve muscle tension
Joint Mobilisation – a technique involving varying amounts of pressure to certain joints in your spine to help relieve stiffness, pain and restore normal movement. Your therapist may choose to use TAMARS (Technology Assisted Mobilisation and Reflex Stimulation) to achieve the desired results
Acupuncture or Dry Needling – these techniques involve inserting find sterile, single-use needles to relax muscle tension, reduce pain and promote tissue healing
*Please tell your therapist if you have any treatment preferences or if you are uncomfortable with certain treatments i.e. needles. We can always find a suitable alternative to suit you.
In addition to “hands-on” treatment your therapist may also provide:
Postural advice
Ergonomic advice (particularly if you are a desk worker)
Education about your condition
Individualised Home Exercise Program to help you achieve the required strength and flexibility to help prevent future headache episodes
