Migraines
Migraines are a complex condition with a wide variety of symptoms. For many people, the main feature is a painful headache. Other symptoms include disturbed vision, sensitivity to light, sound and smells, feeling sick and vomiting. Migraine attacks can be very frightening and may result in you having to lie still for several hours.
The symptoms will vary from person to person and individuals may have different symptoms during different attacks. Your attacks may differ in length and frequency. Migraine attacks usually last from 4 to 72 hours and most people are free from symptoms between attacks. Migraine can have an enormous impact on your work, family and social lives.
The most common symptoms of a migraine attack include throbbing headache, sensitivity to light and noise, nausea (feeling sick), vomiting (being sick) and lethargy (lack of energy).
Medical treatment involves pharmaceutical medication of which there are many to help with migraine. These approach migraine in different ways and can be extremely useful in the acute and prophylactic treatment of migraine attacks.
If this route is not effective for you or you would like to supplement its effectiveness or look for an alternative long term solution, we offer a number of options. Current RCT’s suggest that massage therapy, physiotherapy, relaxation and chiropractic spinal manipulation might be equally efficient as propranolol and topiramate.(2,3) Acupuncture is also an option having been shown to reduce headache days and medication use and is therefore recommended in the NICE Guidelines 2012.(4,5,6,7)
Our practitioners will look at a number of different factors that may be impacting your symptoms including posture, biomechanics, muscle patterning, sleep, exercise and diet. There are many factors that can impact migraine and so your treatment will be individual to you. Whilst going through your history we will discuss particularly which triggers you have and in detail what your symptoms are. Many migraine sufferers we see present with migraines and “normal” headaches which are not migraines. We will enquire in-depth about both as this is relevant for appropriate treatment.
If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment then please contact us or book online.
Tension Headaches
SYMPTOMS
A tension-type headache is the most common type of headache and the one most people would consider a normal, everyday headache. It may feel like a constant ache that affects both sides of the head. You may also feel the neck muscles tighten and a feeling of pressure behind the eyes.
A tension headache normally won’t be severe enough to prevent you from doing everyday activities. It can last from 30 minutes to several hours, even last for several days. About 2 or 3 in every 100 adults experience tension-type headaches more than 15 times a month for at least three months in a row. This is known as having chronic tension-type headaches.
Nowadays, headaches are very common and cause substantial pain. So if you are suffering from headaches you are not alone!. Headache is probably the most common problem seen in clinical practice by health care professionals, with tension-type, cervicogenic headache, and migraine as the most common forms.
WHO SUFFERS FROM TENSION HEADACHES?
Most people are likely to have experienced a tension headache at some point. They can develop at any age but are more common in teenagers and adults. Women tend to suffer from them more commonly than men.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
At the Back2normal clinic, we can help with tension headaches. There is evidence that therapy on treatment on the neck, posture, or jaw can have a positive effect on your symptoms.
If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment then please contact us or book online.
Cericogenic Headaches or Dizziness
Cervicogenic headaches most commonly appear at the base of the skull but they can radiate to the top of the head and behind the eye on either or both sides. The headaches can be accompanied by neck pain and stiffness. Sometimes the neck symptoms start before the headache manifests itself. With chronic or recurrent headaches, you may start to experience shoulder or arm symptoms including aching, heaviness or diffuse pain. Pain is often associated with neck movement or sustained neck postures such as driving or desk work. Overhead work is most likely to aggravate symptoms. In addition to the pain you may experience lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea or tinnitus (ringing or dullness in the ears). If you experience any of these symptoms you should seek the care and guidance of a healthcare professional.
WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL HELP
There’s usually no need to see your GP if you only get occasional headaches. However, see your GP if you get headaches several times a week or your headaches are severe.
Your GP will ask questions about your headaches, family history, diet and lifestyle to help diagnose the type of headache you have.
You should seek immediate medical advice for headaches that:
- come on suddenly and are unlike anything you’ve had before
- are accompanied by a very stiff neck, fever, nausea, vomiting and confusion
- follow an accident, especially if it involved a blow to your head
- are accompanied by weakness, numbness, slurred speech or confusion
These symptoms suggest there could be a more serious problem, which may require further investigation and emergency treatment.
Manual therapy has been shown to help cervicogenic headaches. A combination of treatment and addressing the cause by methods such as strengthening will achieve the best results. If you are struggling with cervicogenic headaches, call us today at Back2normal or book an appointment online!
Neck Pain
INTRODUCTION:
Most people are familiar with the pain and inconvenience of a stiff neck, it could be something you wake up with or even develop later in the day after a strenuous activity. In most cases, pain and stiffness go away naturally within a week. However, how you manage and care for the stiff neck can affect pain levels, recovery time, and the likelihood of whether it will return.
A stiff neck is usually described by how sore it is and how difficult it is moving the neck, from side to side. It may also be accompanied by a headache, neck pain, shoulder pain even arm pain.
Symptoms can include the following;
SYMPTOMS;
- Pain at the neck radiating to the shoulders or into the arm
- Pain or aching at the top of the neck/base of the skull
- Stiffness or restriction
- Sharp twinges with turning or with unguarded movements
- Associated headaches
WHEN TO SEEK HELP;
If your symptoms are significant and impacting on everyday activities including sleep then you should seek help. This is an indication that your symptoms are severe enough that they may not settle by themselves and you may require.
If you are experiencing pain into the arm accompanied by numbness, tingling and pins and needles then you should seek help.
If you have experienced dizziness, nausea or visual blurring you should seek help immediately.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
Neck pain is one of the most common complaints. Neck pain is also one of the most common causes of headaches. At Back2normal we utilise a number of techniques in line with our investigation to help relieve you from the pain. We undertake a great deal of hands on treatment – this may be soft tissue release, joint mobilisation or manipulation.
If you are struggling with neck pain, call us today at Back2normal on 07418 036213 or email [email protected] and find out how we can help you.
Neck and Arm Pain
We are seeing more and more patients with neck and arm pain at Back2normal. In most cases pain has been building for a while, but becomes more frequent, more painful and cover more area over time. Persistent pain is an indication that there is an underlying problem and needs to resolved as soon as possible.
SYMPTOMS;
- Pain in the neck radiating to the top of the shoulder and into the upper arm
- Pain on neck movement especially rotation (turning movements) and extension (looking overhead)
- Pain can be nagging, achey & dull, interspersed with sharp, shooting pain on certain movements or unguarded movements
- May be accompanied by numbness, tingling or pins & needles
- The arm may feel or be heavy and weak
- If you have unremitting pain shooting into the arm with numbness and pins and needles.
WHAT CAN CAUSE THIS?
Problems with the neck are usually due to poor posture or weaknesses in the back muscles. This can be made worse from sitting at a desk incorrectly, poor sleep and other emotional, chemical and physical stresses. Back2normal can help you increase your strength in order to safeguard your neck long term as well make other suggestions in order improve your sleeping position and posture.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
Neck pain is one of the most common causes of headaches. At Back2normal we utilise a number of techniques in line with our investigation to help relieve you from the pain. We undertake a great deal of hands on treatment – this may be soft tissue release, joint mobilisation or manipulation.
If you are struggling with neck pain, call us today at Back2normal on 07418 036213 or email [email protected] and find out how we can help you.
Nerve Pain
Nerve pain is different for everyone. For some, it’s a stabbing pain in the middle of the night. For others, symptoms can include a chronic prickling, tingling, or burning they feel all day. Some have even describe it as “walking on hot coals!”
Symptoms can include the following:
SYMPTOMS;
- Severe pain in the neck and arm
- Pain will be easily aggravated and sharp/stabbing when irritated
- Constant background dragging, nagging, horrible pain
- Pins and needles and tingling in the arm – this will be in specific fingers.
KEEP IN MIND
If you experience lower limb or body symptoms in addition to the above then you need to contact your GP immediately.
WHAT CAUSES RADICULAR PAIN?
Radicular pain from the neck is caused when one of the nerves from the neck is being irritated to a significant amount. Nerves have a huge ability to cause pain as they themselves are the communication and pain pathways of the body. The nerves from the neck supply the sensation, reflexes and muscle strength to the upper arm. The most important differentiation when you experience symptoms like this is whether the nerve is being irritated alone or if it has been irritated enough to affect it’s ability to function
CAN RADICULAR PAIN BE TREATED?
Our initial goal is to relieve the irritation to the nerves and subsequently relieve the pain the patient is suffering. After investigation, Back2normal will be able to offer advice and using a number of techniques alongside gentle exercises. Surgery may be an option in non-
TREATMENT
If you are struggling with nerve pain, call us today at Back2normal on 07418 036213 or email [email protected] and find out how we can help you.
Whiplash
“Whiplash” is a slang word or colloquialism. The official diagnosis would be a “whiplash associated disorder” (WAD).
Whiplash is commonly associated with road accidents most commonly with rear impact collisions however, the injury can be sustained in other ways, including head banging, bungee jumping and falls. A wide variety of symptoms can be associated with whiplash injuries.
SYMPTOMS
· Neck and upper back aching and pain which may radiate to the shoulders
· Upper limb symptoms including numbness and pins and needles
· Headaches
· May also experience some dizziness, nausea and, lack of ability to concentrate and irritability
HOW CAN BACK2NORMAL TREAT WHIPLASH?
At Back2normal we will investigate your symptoms and we will assess you thoroughly to ascertain if there is any associated neurology, central sensitisation, thoracic dysfunction or TMJ Disorders. Having a full picture of your clinical symptoms is essential to gaining the best results with treatment.
If you have had a car accident and struggling with pain, call us today at Back2normal on 07418 036213 or email [email protected] and find out how we can help you.
The Shoulder
If a patient comes to us with shoulder pain, majority of the time this pain is a symptom of another issue. Therefore, Back2normal will evaluate the whole body as a system during examination. Muscles from the pelvis attach to the shoulder blade and the biceps, meaning that the ultimate cause could be from the pelvis and thus causing shoulder pain.
When looking at the shoulder, we know it is a ball and socket joint like the hip, and it is attached to the rib cage by muscles. A total of 16 muscles, in fact, is involved in keeping it in its optimum position. So, finding the correct approach can sometimes end up like a Sherlock Holmes investigation!
The following 4 videos focus on the rotator cuff muscles whose main role is to maintain the ball in the socket at its optimum position. If one muscle is either too strong or too weak it will affect the rest of them directly and indirectly.
INFRASPINATUS
Keep your arm and elbow at 90 degrees and rotate your arm backwards as in the video. This movement is referred to as external/outwards rotation.
SUBSCAPULARIS
Keep your arm by your side still with the elbow at 90 degrees. The band is forcing your arm out. The band could as an example be hooked to the door handle
Starting with the arm being pulled out due to the band tension you can now pull the bent arm in across the body and out again.
This is referred to internal/inwards rotation.
TERES MINOR
Still using the door handle now swap hands and use the other arm. This means you don’t have to move around too much.
Having your arm close to your body still with the elbow bent 90” rotate the arm outwards. This is similar to the infraspinatus exercise we started with, but the angle of the arm is slightly different.
This motion is also referred to as external / outwards rotation just by the side of your body
SUPRASPINATUS/DELTOID
These two muscles work in conjunction with each other
SUPRASPINATUS work from the 0” angle to 30” and then the deltoid takes over. As the video shows it’s bringing your arm from your side up to or just near horizontal.
The deltoid does not belong to the rotator cuff muscles.
We recommend to do both sides and stick to a repetition range of 10-12 for 3 sets
If you find this painful then reduce to 6 or 8 reps, just so we can stay pain free!