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Tension Headache Overview
Manipulative Therapy
Helps Treatment of Tension Headaches
Just because you have a headache doesn't mean it's "all in your head." Sometimes
the muscles of the neck and shoulders can cause or contribute to head pain.
One of the most common types of headache is the tension headache. These
headaches are caused by muscle contractions. These headaches are caused or
aggravated by muscle spasms of the shoulder and neck. When muscles are in spasm,
they become painful and sometimes irritate nerves that can produce pain at the
base of the skull and the scalp. The cause of these muscle spasms may be major
or trivial.
Causes
A rear end motor vehicle accident transmits an enormous amount of force to
the neck. As a protective response, the muscles tighten. Unfortunately, long
after the sprains have healed, the muscles may remain in spasm.
Maintaining the neck or spine in one position for prolonged periods of time,
such as sleeping in a chair, extended driving or working at a computer may also
cause muscle spasm.
Treatment
Manipulative therapy is often helpful as part of a comprehensive plan in
treating tension-type headaches. Those patients who experience severe or
frequent tension-type headaches may be advised to follow a program consisting of
medication, diet, stress reduction and manipulative therapy. Manipulative
therapy sometimes referred to as "laying on of the hands," is usually
administered by an osteopathic physician (D.O.), physiatrist (physical medicine
specialist) or chiropractor (D.C.).
Manipulative therapy of the muscles and bones can decrease muscle spasm and
restore normal motion to the spine. Some clinicians accomplish this by quickly
stretching the muscles. Other techniques are more passive and keep muscles in
prolonged contraction so that they relax more deeply when released from fatigue.
The benefits of manipulative therapy depend on the individual. Many headache
patients prefer to take less medication, so this may be an additional option.
For some patients, manipulative therapy can be used as a sole source of relief
when the headaches are not too frequent or severe.
Carman A. Ciervo, DO; Michael J. Warner, DO National Headache
Foundation. Fall 1994, Number 90, page 3.
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