Headache & Migraine Management Physiotherapists Watson Headache® Approach Practitioner Bondi Junction, Eastern Suburbs Sydney

Effective Medication Free Management for Headaches & Migraines is Available at our Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney Physiotherapy Clinic

If headaches and migraines are interrupting your daily life, physios at JW Physical Health in Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney may be able to help. Watch the video below to learn more. Enquire now to learn more.

Get Effective Medication Free Management for Headaches & Migraines in Bondi Junction Now

Watson Headache® Approach Certified Practitioner in Sydney

For headache & migraine management at JW Physical Health in Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney we utilise the Watson Headache® Approach. The key feature of the Watson Headache® Approach is the temporary reproduction of and resolution of the usual pain a person experiences. If this can be achieved there is a high probability (80% chance) of significant improvement. Potentially it could completely resolve your symptoms.

We have One of Just A Few Watson Headache® Approach Certified Practitioners in all of Sydney NSW

Jason, our lead physiotherapist, is a Watson Headache® Approach Certified Practitioner. Only a small number of physiotherapists have this accreditation in Australia. Even fewer certified practitioners offer the service from Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. 

How the Watson Headache® Approach Works to Help Manage & Prevent Headaches & Migraines

The Watson Headache Approach recognises headaches can be caused by a variety of factors. These factors include muscle tension, joint dysfunction, and imbalances in the nervous system. The Watson Headache® Approach can determine if these factors are at play.

Other approaches to the Watson Headache® Approach often overlook cervical afferents (neck input). Yet there is much scientific research that shows the neck often plays a causal role in producing headaches and migraines. Although you may feel pain in your head, it doesn’t necessarily start there. Often, the pain you feel is referred pain from another location in your body, particularly the upper neck. We can determine if a problem in your upper neck is contributing to your condition quite quickly via a short physical assignment.

To diagnose the cause of a headache, your treating physio will use the Watson Headache Approach to conduct an initial assessment. This will include a thorough examination of your head, neck, and upper back, posture, range of motion, and muscle tone.

If your neck is the cause or a contributing factor to your condition, using the Watson Headache® Approach, we will be able to reproduce your same headache pain in a controlled and shortened manner that will not have a lasting effect. This is a bit like putting light pressure on a joint or muscle to test its sensitivity. The results of this initial assessment influence how we proceed in your unique treatment.

Physio to Treat the Cause of Headaches with Tailored Treatment Management Plans

Physio at JW Physical Health in Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney can be an effective treatment for headaches. It can help to address the underlying causes of headaches, such as muscle tension and imbalances in the neck and upper back.

At JW Physical Health our goal is to address the cause of your pain, to provide scientifically based manual treatment of the neck to address the causes of your headache or migraine problem.

Specific physio techniques and associated clinical reasoning allow us to precisely determine which segment or segments of your body are involved in causing your headache and migraine. Once we determine these segments we can resolve the cause of your pain by addressing these causes. Creating a tailored management plan for you we remove the guesswork out of your treatment so that we can alleviate your pain.

Personalised Physiotherapy Based, Medication Free, & Non-Invasive Treatment Options Available

Our physiotherapy-based treatment could be a suitable medication and radiation free alternative for you. We advocate for being non invasive. Treatment at our Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney clinic comprises predominantly of a series of non manipulative (no ‘cracking’) physiotherapy techniques applied in a systematic way to provide you with long-lasting benefit.

Physio for headaches and migraines may involve any of the below techniques:

1. Manual therapy: This includes techniques such as massage, mobilisation, and manipulation of the muscles and joints of the neck and upper back, which can help to reduce muscle tension and improve range of motion.
2. Exercises: your treating physio may also design a specific exercise program to help to improve strength, flexibility, and posture, which can help to reduce the frequency and intensity of a headache.
3. Education: your treating physio will teach you on how to improve your posture and body mechanics to reduce the stress on the neck, shoulders and head which can trigger a headache.
4. Soft tissue techniques: Dry needling and other techniques to release muscle trigger points which can cause headaches.

Types of Headaches that Our Physiotherapists Manage & Treat from our Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney Physio clinic

Below is a list of some of the types of headaches our physiotherapists manage & treat from our Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney Physio clinic:

1. Migraines
2. Tension Type
3. Cluster
4. Chronic Daily
5. Hormonal or Menstrual Migraine
6. Sinus
7. Cervicogenic
8. Vertigo-Cervical
9. Whiplash Associated
10. SUNCT

Many more types of headaches and migraines can also be treated at our Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney physio clinic.

Migraines

Migraines are a condition with pain that can vary in intensity from moderate to the more severe. Typically it’s characterized by being intense and debilitating. Sometimes they can pulsate, causing throbbing pain to be experienced in a particular area of the head. Some people suffering from this condition may also experience nausea, vomiting, or increased sensitivity to light or sound. Normally these types of headaches affect only one side of your head, however, they can affect both sides. Typically they get worse with any form of physical activity. On average they last from four to 72 hours without treatment.

Tension Type

Tension-type headache is the most widespread headache disorder, with about one-third of men and slightly more women suffering the condition. Pain is normally mild to moderate, dull yet persistent, however, can vary in intensity. Tension-type suffers typically experience reductions in social activities and work capacity. Typically tension-type headaches are felt on both sides of the head. It is a pressing or tightening sensation rather than a throbbing headache and is not made worse by physical activity nor accompanied by nausea or vomiting unlike a migraine.

Cluster

Cluster Headaches are relatively rare (about 1 in 1000 people). They are considered extremely painful. Usually, they are experienced on one side of the head only and attack in cyclical patterns known as episodes, however, they can also be more chronic. Typically men are 3 times more likely to experience these than women.

Chronic Daily

Chronic Daily Headache sufferers typically experience pain all over the head to a dull level. The term refers to almost any type that occurs frequently, generally at least 15 days per month for a period of three to six months or more.

Hormonal or Menstrual Migraine

Women can get menstrual migraines anywhere from 2 days before their period to 3 days after it starts. However, anything that changes hormone levels can cause this particular condition including menopause, premenopause and pregnancy. Pain is experienced like a migraine.

Sinus

Typically sufferers of Sinus Headache report feeling a deep and constant pain in their cheekbones, forehead, or bridge of their nose. Pain typically increases with a sudden movement of the head or head or neck strain.  Symptoms can be similar to a typical migraine.

Cervicogenic

Cervicogenic sufferers typically experience pain in their head although it develops in the neck. Often these headaches mimic the symptoms of migraine.

Vertigo-Cervical

Typically sufferers of the Vertigo-Cervical condition experience feelings of dizziness, like they are spinning or the world is spinning around them. Most often this dizziness occurs after moving the neck. It can affect your sense of balance and concentration.

Whiplash Associated

Headaches of varying levels of intensity that occur after or are associated with neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck.

SUNCT: Short-lasting Unilateral Neuralgiform with Conjunctival-Injection & Tearing

Sufferers that come into our Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney clinic typically experience bursts of moderate to severe burning, piercing, or throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head and around the eye or temple. Pain normally peaks within seconds of onset. Sometimes it follows a pattern of increasing and decreasing intensity over a period of 5 seconds to 4 minutes. Episodes usually occur during daylight hours only.

Medication Free Treatment for Headaches & Migraines at Our Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney Clinic

If the underlying cause of your headache is muscle tension, joint dysfunction, or imbalances in the neck and surrounding muscles then medication-free physio-based treatment can resolve your headache or migraine ongoing. Medication-free physiotherapy treatment will likely give you longer-lasting recovery and prevent flare-ups because it fixes the underlying issues that cause your headache. Similarly, reducing your use of medication will allow you to avoid unwanted side effects of medication use.

Side effects of using medication for headaches can vary depending on the type of medication and the individual. Some common side effects of medications used to treat headaches include:

• Drowsiness or fatigue
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Stomach pain
• Insomnia

Overuse of some medications, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin, can also lead to rebound headaches. These are a type of headache that occurs as a side effect of medication overuse. They can be difficult to treat and can often lead to a cycle of taking more medication to relieve the headache, which can make the problem worse over time. Some medications, particularly triptans and opioids, can also have cardiovascular side effects.

If you’d like to see if you can reduce your reliance on medication to treat your headaches, get in touch. Physiotherapy could be an appropriate treatment option for you.

Receive Your Own Tailored Headache or Migraine Management Treatment Plan from Our Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney Physiotherapy Studio

Without proper management headaches and migraines can greatly impact a person’s daily life. People who suffer from chronic headaches and migraines can have difficulty completing daily tasks. Headaches can lead to problems with concentration, memory, and mood. Pain associated with headaches can further lead to sleep disturbances and fatigue, which can further exacerbate symptoms.

If any of this sounds like you, we may be able to help with headache and migraine management physio.

Whilst all these headache types and more are recognised as individual conditions, many have overlapping signs and symptoms, which suggests a common cause. This cause, hypersensitivity in the brainstem nerves, can be identified by an accredited Watson Headache ® Approach physiotherapist and treated with its associated specialised physiotherapy techniques at JW Physical Health in Bondi Junction Eastern Suburbs Sydney. If we cannot determine a problem in the upper neck and are unable to reproduce your same headache pain, we can determine very quickly if physio treatment will be successful.

Almost everyone gets a headache from time to time, and many are nothing to worry about. But if you get particularly bad and ongoing headaches that disrupt your normal daily activities, work or personal life, it’s time to seek support.