At Westwood Physical Therapy we specialize in treating head and neck dysfunctions. Headaches account for the discomfort experienced by most people in today’s society. There is a huge market for medications to treat headaches. For some frequent headaches sufferers, physical therapy can be a safe and natural approach to their problem. Frequently, joint and/or soft tissue dysfunctions in the neck and/or jaw (TMJ) can be the main source of their headaches. Stress causes our muscles to tense up at the base of the head and neck, triggering headaches, but this type of muscle tension is not caused by stress alone. Often it is created by poor posture, poor body mechanics at work and home and a work environment that is not ergonomically respectful. 

 

Poor posture leads to a forward head position. For every inch your head goes forward, it adds an additional 10 pounds of torque to the muscles of your neck and upper back.   It is no surprise that forward head posture can cause increased stress on your neck muscles and joints causing headaches. Physical therapy can help improve your posture through patient education and exercises to strengthen & lengthen your back and neck muscles.

 

Many people see their physician’s for complaints of headaches and are just treated with medication. By consulting with a physical therapist, we can do a thorough assessment including muscle and joint assessment to determine what factors are contributing to the headaches. Treatment will then focus on joint and soft tissue mobilizations, posture education, and therapeutic exercises to increase the strength of the cervical and scapular stabilizers. We will also discuss proper ergonomic set-up of your work station and home environment. We believe that it is important to treat not only the symptoms, but the cause of your pain.

 

Patients who have not been helped by previous physical therapy or other treatments are surprised at the success they achieve with our unique approach at Westwood Physical Therapy. Give us a call to set up an evaluation with one of our highly skilled manual physical therapists. Let us help you achieve a headache free life.