Treatment of headaches

Can osteopathy help with headaches?

The Osteopathy is not effective for all types of headache.

In my experience, osteopathy is particularly promising for treating tension headaches. Vertebral blockages in the cervical spine, which usually occur as a compensatory effect due to organ strain or jaw occlusion disorders, lead to reduced blood flow, muscle tension, nerve irritation, and tension in the skull bones.

Before starting therapy, an exact diagnosis and, if necessary, radiological Diagnostics essential, since headaches can also occur as a non-specific symptom in life-threatening conditions.

Especially after accidents or in cases of headaches accompanied by neurological deficits, a conventional medical evaluation is recommended before osteopathy. This should rule out bone fractures, cerebral hemorrhages, strokes (apoplexy), meningitis, and tumors.

Your therapist will advise you on whether osteopathy is likely to be successful in your case or whether a conventional medical examination is necessary before therapy after a thorough medical history, manual examination and, if necessary, neurological function tests.

Causes of Headaches

Osteopathy for migraines

Migraine is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system and cerebral vessels that occurs in phases. Women are more commonly affected. Various triggers can provoke migraine attacks. These include hormonal fluctuations caused by the female cycle, sexual activity, or stress. Histamine-rich foods and toxic exposure are also known to trigger these attacks.

Typical symptoms include severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, visual disturbances, and sometimes numbness, as well as other neurological symptoms.

Osteopathy as a manual therapy form can be tried, as these are often mixed forms of migraine and tension headaches

Osteopathy for tension headaches

Tension headaches are mainly caused by blockages of the cervical spine (C-spine) and occlusion disorders.

The symptoms of both disorders often merge into one another, since the cranial system is closely linked to the CNS (central nervous system), cerebrospinal fluid flow, blood vessels, the nervous supply of the cervical spine and jaw as a functional unit.

Tension headaches are considered the most common form of headache, accounting for 90% of cases.

Osteopathy fundamentally views the entire organism as a functional unit and seeks to release tension through gentle manipulation in order to achieve greater symmetry and mobility within the organism. Your therapist will rule out more serious pathologies through a thorough medical history, functional tests, and, if necessary, a neurological examination, and may suggest more advanced conventional medical diagnostics.

Headaches caused by tumors

Space-occupying processes in the brain, such as tumors, can cause severe headaches as well as significant neurological problems. Initial clues can be provided by the medical history and neurological examination methods, such as self-reflexes and external reflexes. Conventional medical diagnostics in the form of imaging procedures such as computed tomography should be sought if suspected.

Space-occupying processes of the skull represent a contraindication, especially for craniosacral osteopathy.

Headaches caused by cerebral hemorrhage / apoplexy are a contraindication to osteopathy

Cerebral hemorrhages occur after both head trauma and strokes (apoplexy). In both cases, severe headaches and symptoms such as blurred vision, speech impediments, dizziness, unsteady gait, and impaired awareness of people, space, or time are the main symptoms.

Reduced blood flow to the brain (white stroke) also leads to temporary or persistent neurological disorders.

If a stroke or cerebral hemorrhage is suspected, immediate inpatient treatment is required, even if the symptoms have already subsided.

Cluster headaches:

Cluster headaches are sudden, severe headaches that usually begin behind the eye. The headaches typically last between 15 minutes and 3 hours.

In addition to headaches, the following symptoms often occur:

1. red and possibly watery eye
2. blocked and/or runny nose
3. swollen eyelid (eyelid edema)
4. Sweating of the face
5. Redness of the face or forehead
6. Ear symptoms (cotton wool feeling)
7. drooping eyelid and constricted pupil
8. unrest

In addition, symptoms similar to migraines sometimes occur: sensitivity to light, visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, and neurological symptoms. New research suggests a degenerative disease of the hypothalamus (brain gland), likely caused by poisoning or infection.

Cluster headaches cannot be treated with osteopathy.

And finally ... In our experience, osteopathy is particularly promising for tension headaches. In addition to conventional medical pain management, nutritional therapy, and stress reduction, osteopathy can also lead to an improvement in migraine symptoms, particularly in cases where the inflammatory component of migraine is accompanied by blockages of the cervical spine and occlusion disorders.

Before osteopathic treatment, a thorough medical history and examination must be carried out in order to provide the patient with appropriate conventional medical diagnosis or therapy in the case of life-threatening illnesses.