Why do I have chronic tension headaches?

The answer to this question might not be apparent at first glance. In fact, there are many issues that can trigger chronic tension headaches, but a physical therapist can help you determine which issue(s) are affecting you.

Tension headaches occur when muscles in the upper neck and head become overly tense. In many cases, such headaches only occur once in a while, but they can also become chronic. Medical professionals define chronic tension headaches as tension headaches that occur on at least 15 days per month for three or more months. Meeting with a physical therapist can help you learn what issues are triggering your frequent headaches. Doing so also gives these specialists an opportunity to effectively treat your headaches.

These underlying issues can cause chronic tension headaches

Your physical therapist will have a wealth of experience treating musculoskeletal disorders, such as tension headaches. They can do an evaluation to determine the trigger or triggers that are setting off your headaches. A few of the issues your evaluation could uncover include:

• Poor head and neck posture

• Fatigue

• Eye strain

• Dehydration

• High levels of psychological stress

• Erratic eating schedules

How can your physical therapist help treat your chronic tension headaches?

Your therapist will also build you an individualized therapy program intended to treat your headaches. This plan will work to address underlying issues like those above, and it can also seek to reduce the frequency of your headaches.

Some of the therapy techniques that can help your physical therapist reach these goals are:

• Myofascial release therapy that can help break up tense knots in your neck soft tissue.

• Therapeutic exercises intended to stretch and strengthen your neck and shoulder muscles.

• Dry needling therapy designed to promote a local twitch response in deeper levels of soft tissue.

• Ergonomic recommendations that focus on improving your head and neck posture.

Back in Motion offers effective treatment for chronic tension headaches

Fed up with having tension headaches nearly every day? Our physical therapists at Back in Motion are ready and willing to help you treat these headaches. We offer free screenings that can pinpoint the underlying causes of your headaches. Furthermore, our team excels at building unique therapy plans designed to reduce headache frequency and prevent future headaches.

Headaches keeping you from leaving home? No problem! We offer virtual therapy and at-home care services that are specifically intended to help you get effective therapy from home.

Contact us today for more information about how we can treat your frequent headaches or to schedule an initial appointment.