Do you suffer from headaches on a regular basis?  Here are several possible musculoskeletal causes of headaches and the treatment Old Post Physical Therapy can provide:

Poor Posture

Poor posture can cause headaches due to the compression of nerves in our neck that refer pain to our head.  Most of us are sitting a lot using computers and cell phones throughout the day, even when we are not at work or school.  We are now doing these activities at a younger age and can develop poor posture early on in life.  At Old Post Physical Therapy we can teach you how to correct your posture at any age and if you can not correct your posture due to joint stiffness and/or muscle tightness we can work on these areas to restore normal movement.

Joint Stiffness

You can develop joint stiffness from poor posture and/or previous injuries.  Joint stiffness in the neck can cause headaches due to compression of nerves that travel between the joints of the vertebrae.  We can loosen the joints that are stuck and compressing the nerves with joint mobilizations.  For example, in order to move your head back on your body so your ears are over your shoulders where they should be the joints between each vertebrae in your neck need to move freely.  Each vertebrae has to be able to move backward on the one below it to allow this to happen.  Stiffness commonly occurs in these joints and joint mobilizations can restore this movement to allow you to move your head back on your body without restriction and also alleviate compression of the nerves in this area.

Muscle Imbalance

Headaches can also be caused by overworked or injured muscles that develop trigger points and/or adhesions and can be resolved with manual therapy techniques.   With poor posture over time and/or previous injuries you will develop muscle imbalances in that some muscles become very strong and tight and other muscles become very weak and overly lax.  At Old Post Physical Therapy we evaluate each client to determine where your specific muscle imbalances are and develop an individualized treatment plan to correct this imbalance.  We can stretch and use different manual techniques to eliminate trigger points and adhesions to relax the tight muscles that are pulling you into the poor posture.  We will also show you specific strengthening exercises for your weak muscles that need to be strong to maintain good posture throughout the day.  Once your muscle imbalances are corrected you will find it easier to maintain good posture for longer periods of time and your headaches may be resolved if they were being caused by the muscles and poor posture.

Ligament Adhesions

Ligaments are tissue that hold are bones together and when they are injured, usually from trauma, scar tissue gets laid down to help them heal.  This scar tissue, especially when formed around the ligaments in the neck, can refer pain to the head causing headaches.  At Old Post Physical Therapy we can assess the ligaments in your neck for scar tissue and perform scar massage to eliminate the scar tissue and your headaches if they are being referred by the ligaments.

Cranio Sacral Therapy

If we have addressed your posture, muscle imbalances, joint stiffness, and cleared your ligaments of scar tissue and you still are complaining of headaches we can try Cranio Sacral Therapy.  Although still controversial as to it’s benefit, we have found clients that report relief of their headaches with Cranio Sacral Therapy.  The idea is that with gentle manual techniques to the skull the rhythm of the cerebral spinal fluid can be restored and eliminate headaches.  It is worth a try when all previous treatment has not worked.

At Old Post Physical Therapy we can provide treatment to most of the musculoskeletal causes of headaches.  If you suffer from headaches and are looking for a wholistic approach to your treatment call us today to make an appointment at 914-271-2426, email us at oldpostpt@icloud.com, or go to our website oldpostpt.com and book an appointment now.