Yes, osteopaths treat headaches too!
All too often people think that osteopathy treats just bones or joints. We actually work into the body’s soft tissues too including muscles, ligaments, membranes etc. Many people do not know that osteopathy can help relieve headaches and that headaches are not always just something you have to live with.
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and are something I successfully treat all the time. As a past sufferer myself, I know how wearing they can be!
It may feel like a constant ache on both sides of your head, often accompanied by a feeling of pressure behind the eyes and a tightened feeling across the forehead or at the base of the skull.
Typical sufferers are desk workers, people who cope with a lot of stress, those with eye problems or those with postural dysfunction.
Most people have experienced this sort of thing before but when it becomes a regular part of your week or is interrupting your work/fun it is time to get some help!
How can they be treated?
I always find the best way to relieve a problem is to approach it from several angles at once. Before commencing treatment I will be looking at your general neck, shoulder and head position. I want to know if you’re squinting at your computer screen or if you’re a student who works in bed, if you have a terrible chair at work, if you find any time to relax during the week… the list goes on!
I would then assess the movement in your neck and the levels of muscle tension around the neck, back, shoulders, head and jaw. My aim is to help everything move smoothly, to mobilise restricted areas, to settle the body into a relaxed posture where it does not need to strain and create muscle tension to do normal daily tasks.
Typically between 3-4 treatments are recommended for tension headache sufferers but this also depends on the duration of symptoms (the longer they have gone on for, the longer it will take to change). Usually after the first treatment people start to feel significantly better, so why not book in and stop putting off feeling comfortable, there is no need to suffer!
Venetia Powell is an Osteopath / Cranial Osteopath working at Natural Balance on Mondays & Fridays. You can read more about her here