Specialized ​Headache Treatment

“Headaches are a pain in the neck!”
While this may just seem to be a saying, at Whitefish Therapy
​we believe there’s a lot of truth behind it.

​Symptoms in the head and face most often stem from the neck, or more specifically, the cervical spine. These symptoms can be any number of things, including pain, soreness, achiness, tightness, numbness, tingling, tooth pain, jaw pain, dry or watery eyes, tight or sore sinuses, vision changes, nausea, fullness or ringing in the ears…the list goes on and on. 

So how can all of these different symptoms come from a neck problem? Small muscles at the base of the skull, called suboccipitals, can become very tight. When they are tight, they put pressure on the tissues nearby, which include nerves from the brain and cervical spine.
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In addition, if there is a problem in the lower neck, this can cause miscommunication from this part of the spine to the base of the skull, causing the same symptoms.

The culprit?​

In nearly every case, bad posture of the head on the body is the reason. The longer someone is in a position that is out of “neutral” alignment, like having the head forward or looking down, the more irritation to the structures mentioned above, and the worse the headache becomes. 
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​"When I started physical therapy, I was experiencing neck pain and headaches practically every day, especially waking up in the morning.  The pain would continue for the rest of the day, in a variety of intensities.  ​I had a history of 40 years of headaches, ranging from minor headaches to migraines. Throughout the years, I sought relief in acupuncture, diet, exercise, meditation, etc. with practically no positive result. Physical therapy has definitely reduced my headaches and neck problems by 90%.  Literally, what a relief it is to be free of a 'pain in the neck'!"
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"Here is a list of how Scott Ruta has dealt skillfully with the problem: 
• Identifying the source of the problem: in my case, the neck, among others. 
• Setting a regular schedule of appointments for consultation and therapy massages. 
• Creating a personalized exercise program to do at home in a precise and disciplined way. 
• Regular follow up and supervision of the exercises done at home. 
• Correction in postures when standing, walking and sitting down. 
• Finding the best posture to sleep, including the use of pillows, rolls, and different postures. 
• Identification and awareness of the “trigger points” that can generate the headache and how to deal with it. 

Correctly identifying and classifying each and every one of the points mentioned above requires a skillful, talented, dedicated professional who understands his patient and knows how to carefully and patiently listen, sometimes even to the absurd details of how and why a headache is generated.  Scott Ruta, I admire your wonderful performance as my therapist, and please know how forever thankful I am for your perseverance and true interest in my case."  ~Lili Anne

​Though the symptoms of a headache can seem random and spotty, they actually follow a specific pattern. When symptoms get worse, they travel away from the neck, called peripheralization. When they get better, they disappear in the opposite direction, called centralization. This is the same phenomenon that happens in sciatica in the low back and legs. With sciatica, the pain starts in the low back and buttock, and starts to travel down towards the foot as it gets worse. As it centralizes, the symptoms disappear starting with the foot and working its way back up towards the low back. 

The question now is - how do you fix it?​
It takes a very detailed and specific examination by a trained physical therapist to first see what part of the neck your symptoms are coming from. After that, your physical therapist will instruct you what specific posture and exercise your neck needs in order to make your symptoms go away in the correct order, or centralize. The therapists at Whitefish Therapy have been extensively trained in this technique, and can guide you in the right path towards getting rid of your headaches.
If you suffer from headaches, chances are you’ve already tried different techniques to treat your problem. And chances are, they haven’t worked, or only worked temporarily until the pain came back. You may have even tried physical therapy before, but to no avail. 

 Recurring headaches rarely just go away on their own, and they tend to get worse over time the longer you let them go. Don’t wait until they begin to interfere with your life. If headaches are becoming a pain in your neck, let the therapists at Whitefish Therapy help.