Physical Therapy for Headaches

– Regain Clarity and Quality of Life

Headache pain disrupts daily life by reducing focus and mental clarity. Resolve headache pain with the help of physical therapy.

Physical Therapy Specialists Offers Patient-Centered Headache Relief

We help you find and address the core reasons for your pain.
Proven Headache Treatment Strategies
Schedule a FREE Discovery Visit or Phone Consultation.

Treating Headaches with Physical Therapy

Receive positive results for headache pain by identifying and resolving the root causes. Increase your ability to take part in everyday activities, like work, school, sports and recreation.

Reduce pain and discomfort through a comprehensive initial evaluation and specialized treatment plan.

head and neck therapy

What Headaches Symptoms Can Physical Therapists Help With?

Headaches impact around one in six people in the U.S.1 Most headaches are harmless. In fact, some occur due to a simple cause, like dehydration. Others are more serious or tied to an ongoing condition, like migraines, tension, cervicogenic (neck pain) or jaw pain.

We often see patients with headaches linked to the jaw or temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD). TMJ is another name for this condition due to its impact on the temporomandibular joint. Patients complaining of headaches may have TMD or an issue in the neck or cervical spine.

Jaw pain and headaches are not normal. Thankfully, you do not need to suffer!

Physical therapy works to address many types of chronic headache pain. We are here to help you find solutions and restore your quality of life!

Headache Symptoms

  • Facial pain
  • Pain around the temples
  • Pain in jaw joints
  • Pain in the ear
  • Pain in the back of the head or base of the skull
  • Uncomfortable bite
  • Neck, shoulder or upper back pain

Headache Physical Therapy Treatments

checking head and neck mobility

Manual Therapy Solutions

Hands-on techniques, like joint mobilization, soft tissue mobilization and dry needling provide relief.

  • Ease joint and muscle stiffness

  • Increase mobility of the head and neck

  • Reduce muscle tension and spasms

exercise in living room

Exercise Plan

Receive individualized and prescribed exercises as part of your home exercise and self-care plan. Remember more is not always better!

  • Decrease pain
  • Reduce inflammation
  • Boost overall health
  • Promote healing
patient education

Patient Education

Education empowers you to adjust behaviors for long-term change and pain relief.

  • Reduce headache frequency

  • Lessen severity of headaches
  • Identify headache triggers, like hydration, sleep, posture and workstation posture

Treatment for Headaches

  • Ultrasound

  • Functional Home Exercise Program

  • Self-Care Education

Benefits of Headache Physical Therapy

  • Improve quality of life
  • Recover mobility and function
  • Decrease medication use
  • Enhance focus and clarity
  • Loosen, lengthen and relax muscles

Headache Physical Therapy FAQs

We use proven techniques to address the core issues that trigger migraine pain. Our goals are to relieve the pain and empower you with strategies to improve your quality of life.

Examples include: joint mobilization, soft tissue mobilization, Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Dry Needling, custom exercise programs and other tailored treatments based on your specific needs.

In-office treatment may reduce the length or severity of the headache. Education equips patients with specific tools to address migraines when they start and to avoid migraine triggers.

Patients with musculoskeletal problems involving the neck and/or jaw who suffer from headaches see great success with physical therapy. Dysfunction of the muscles and joints in the neck can cause pain in the head and neck.

When you address the pain in the neck muscles or joints, the headache resolves. With the right treatment, including manual therapy, education and exercise, you not only relieve headaches, but prevent recurrence.

A physical therapist can help you find the root cause of your pain. For headache pain, the first step is determining your specific type of headache.

The most common types include: migraine, TMD, tension and cervicogenic (or coming from the neck). Determining the type of headache helps inform the treatment plan for optimal results.

Improve Your Quality of Life

Find healing and relief for headache pain! Visit Physical Therapy Specialists at our Centennial clinic. We provide headache solutions for patients in Denver and the surrounding areas.

Contact us today to schedule a FREE phone consultation or discovery visit.
Sources:
  1. Headache, The Journal of Head and Neck Pain, “The Prevalence and Impact of Migraine and Severe Headache in the United States: Figures and Trends From Government Health Studies”.
pts-happy family at Physical Therapy Specialist

You have nothing to lose but pain or worry.

Come see for yourself what Physical Therapy Specialists can do for you!