Headache is a pain in the head or face. Sometimes it may occurs isolated to a certain location or on both sides. They can result from chemical activity in the brain interacting among blood, vessels and surrounding nerves. Multiple mechanisms activate specific nerves which send pain signals to the brain, causing headaches.

Headaches are divided into two main categories:

A) Primary Headaches

Primary Headaches are not a symptom of or caused by an underlying medical condition, they are usually dysfunction or over-activity of pain-sensitive features in your head. Those headaches can be triggered by lifestyle factors such as alcohol, certain food, lack of sleep, poor posture, and stress. Also, some people are tend to develop primary headaches due to their genes. Migraines and Tension-type headaches are considered as Primary Headaches.

B) Secondary Headaches

An underlying medical condition causes secondary headaches and they’re considered a symptom or sign of a condition. However, there are types of secondary headaches that are not necessary dangerous such as medication overuse headaches and dehydration headaches.

A thorough medical history and physical examination are important for your doctor / healthcare provider to diagnose headaches correctly and prescribe specific therapy to you.

Emotional stress is the most common trigger factor for migraines. Medication, certain food, and hormonal changes in women can be triggers too.

The pain is often unilateral (one-sided) and around or behind one eye. Migraine are often described as throbbing pain or pulsating sensation and in some cases patients have an aura (seeing spots, sparkles or lines) before or during a migraine.

Applying gentle pressure on certain areas of the head and the neck, gentle  mobilisation and other Osteopathic Techniques can treat the tissues that are linked with the migraine. Craniosacral  visceral osteopathy can also help

Additional techniques of Craniosacral Osteopathy, Visceral Osteopathy  and Naturopathic Advices can also be valuable for the treatment’s results.

Cervicogenic Headaches caused by musculoskeletal tissues innervated by cervical nerves (C1-C4). The pain usually travels from the base of the scalp (occipital region) up to the orbital area (eye). They are often associated with chronic tension, whiplash injury, intervertebral disc issues or facet joint arthritis.

Applying Osteopathic techniques such as gentle pressure on the head and neck and mobilisations techniques can help to eliminate and treat the Cervicogenic Headaches. Craniosacral Osteopathy and Naturopathic Advices can also be a valuable addition to the treatment.

Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) dysfunction affect your jaw joints. They cause pain and tenderness in your jaw and surrounding muscles and ligaments. TMJ issues can be caused by teeth grinding, daily wear and tear of the joint and jaw injuries. Difficulty opening and closing your mouth, popping sound as well as headaches are often symptoms of Jaw Dysfunction.

Treatment varied from person to person. A physical examination and a thorough medical history are important for creating a treatment strategy. Imaging tests are often asked by your doctor or healthcare provider to get further information about the jaw joints and the structures that are around.

Osteopathy uses gently techniques focusing on improving the range of motion of the jaw joint and to reduce the tension of the surrounding tissues and ligaments.

Cervicogenic Headaches caused by musculoskeletal tissues innervated by cervical nerves (C1-C4). The pain usually travels from the base of the scalp (occipital region) up to the orbital area (eye). They are often associated with chronic tension, whiplash injury, intervertebral disc issues or facet joint arthritis.

Applying Osteopathic techniques such as gentle pressure on the head and neck and mobilisations techniques can help to eliminate and treat the Cervicogenic Headaches. Craniosacral Osteopathy and Naturopathic Advices can also be a valuable addition to the treatment.

The vertebrae bodies are one on top of the other and together they form the spine. On each side of the vertebrae there are joints that are known as Facet Joints. Their function is to allow movement of the spine. A Facet Joint Irritation is an articular dysfunction in which arthritic change and inflammation occurs.

It is a common condition and it can be caused by overuse, mechanical changes, history of injuries in early life. Its prevalence increased with aging.

The pain can be local but often the pain can travel to the surrounding areas, joints and tissues. A restriction of joint’s range of motion occurs due to pain.

After a thorough physical examination and in-depth taking of medical history conservative management is used as first-line therapy to treat facet joint irritation and Osteopathy has shown great results on this. The Osteopath creates a tailor-made strategy applying gently techniques and specific pressure on the joints and surrounding tissues to reduce the pain, improve the blood flow of the area and restore the motion of the joints.

Whiplash is an injury of the neck. It occurs when your head is forcefully, rapidly and quickly move back and forth like a whip.

The most common cause is the car accidents however other types of trauma such as sports accidents (particularly contact sports), falls, roller coasters and physical abuse (if you are punched or shaken) can also result to this injury.

The symptoms depends on the severity of the injury. Neck pain is the most common which in some cases travels to the arms. Based on the severity, the symptoms occurs from few weeks however to several months or years.

The treatment of whiplash syndrome focuses on a tailor-made treatment plan that will support the healing process of the body and minimise the symptoms through specific techniques on the neck and the surrounding area. A carefully designed exercise plan is needed to increase the muscular support of the neck and to minimise the compression of the tissues. Immobilisation of the neck and prescription of medication for couple of days or weeks can also be suggested by the person’s doctor.

Cervical spondylosis is an age-related degeneration of the vertebrae and disks in your neck. It becomes worse with age. At the beginning most people experience no symptoms when they occur, the symptoms are pain and stiffness in the area.

In severe spondylosis cases,  the spinal canal becomes narrow and the spinal cord or nerve roots can be affected having symptoms of tingling, numbness, weakness in the upper extremities.

Conservative treatments often are effective. Applying Osteopathic techniques such as gentle pressure on the neck and the surrounding areas can help to minimise the symptoms. A carefully designed exercise plan is needed to increase the muscular support of the neck. A combination of manual treatments, lifestyle changes and specific exercise is important especially if the person’s job involves repetitive neck motions, awkward positioning or a lot of overhead work put extra stress on the neck.

The brachial plexus injury is a damage to the network of the nerves that branch off and sends signals from the spinal cord to the upper extremities.

This injury can be occurred due stretching or compression of the nerves after a trauma. It is more common in contact sports. The brachial plexus can also be injured during birth.  More severe injuries and most common injuries of brachial plexus result from motorcycle accidents. Other conditions, such as inflammation or tumors, may affect the brachial plexus.

Symptoms include muscle pain, weakness and a lack of sensation of your upper extremities, a limp arm as well as in some cases paralysis in your arm or hand.

Based on the severity of the injury the management can be either surgical or non-surgical. Due to the fact this type of injuries are typically caused by traumatic, forceful events the healthcare provider in non-surgical cases will also focus on treating additional injuries as well.

Lumbar Spondylosis is an age-related degeneration of the vertebrae and disks in your lower back. It becomes worse with age. At the beginning most people experience no symptoms when they occur, the symptoms are pain and stiffness in the area.

In severe spondylosis cases,  the spinal canal becomes narrow and the spinal cord or nerve roots can be affected having symptoms of tingling, numbness, weakness in the lower extremities.

Conservative treatments often are effective. Applying Osteopathic techniques such as gentle pressure on the back and the surrounding areas can help to minimise the symptoms. A carefully designed exercise plan is needed to increase the muscular support of the torso. A combination of manual treatments, lifestyle changes and specific exercise is important especially if the person’s job involves repetitive back motions or prolong awkward positioning that stress the lower back.

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