Do you find you often get headaches after a long day at the office or during stressful periods at work? Headaches can be caused by eye strain, fatigue, dehydration, or from the onset of a migraine. However, the most common cause of a headache is from tension. Tension headaches are typically caused by tight suboccipital muscles, the small muscles that connect the base of your skull to your neck. The greater occipital nerve, which is responsible for sensation along the top of the skull, passes through the suboccipital muscles. When the suboccipital muscles are tight and in spasm, it can compress the greater occipital nerve. This can cause headaches that travel across the top of the skull and above the eyes. A quick and easy way to determine if this is the cause of your headaches is to simply press your finger against the top of your neck - if it increases or changes your headache symptoms then you may have a suboccipital tension headache.

So how can physiotherapy help with suboccipital tension headaches? As part of your initial appointment, our experienced physiotherapists will use a variety of techniques such as soft tissue release, myofascial stretching, and dry needling to decrease the spasms of the suboccipital muscles. In addition and more importantly, our physiotherapists will determine why the suboccipitals were tight and in spasm in the first place. Is it upper cervical spine stiffness? Or is your posture causing a muscle imbalance in your neck and shoulders? By determining the root cause of these headaches, we can help prevent these headaches from recurring as well as develop strategies to manage your symptoms at home.

If you think you are suffering from recurrent tension headaches, come talk to one of our physiotherapists at Peak Form Physiotherapy today or drop by our clinic in Port Credit, Mississauga!