STRESS- RELATED HEADACHES RUINING YOUR DAY? PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN HELP!

We’ve all been there before. You’re sitting at your desk, or maybe in your car on the way home from work, when it hits: a tension headache. The pain begins with tension in your neck or shoulders that creeps upward through the base of your skull. Some people experience these occasionally, and some people, unfortunately, experience them daily. You may have even tried stretching and optimizing your work station, but if you are suffering from stress-related headaches, you know that the only relief comes from either reducing stress or taking medication.



Sometimes it can seem hopeless to search for a long-term solution to a problem like this, however, there is no reason to keep living this way when a physical therapist can help you relieve the pain and get rid of stress headaches. Contact our clinic today for more information on tension headache pain management.

WHAT IS A STRESS-RELATED HEADACHE?

If you’ve ever injured your back in a car crash, high-impact sports injury, or work-related accident, you know just debilitating chronic back pain can be. As awful as you might feel though, typically this kind of pain is acute and goes away on its own at some point. Chronic back pain is different because it hangs on long after an acute injury or another ailment occurs.

Technically, back pain is categorized as chronic if it continues for at least 3 months — and in many cases, chronic back pain can haunt a person for years. This is especially true if your back pain stems from an irreversible or progressive condition. If you’re suffering from unexplained back pain, it’s a good idea to get checked out by a medical professional.

CAUSES OF STRESS-RELATED HEADACHES

Before anything can be done to soothe your pain, the reason for it needs to be determined. Chronic back pain can be caused by many underlying issues, from an acute injury that failed to heal correctly to chronic health problems such as:

• Physical or postural imbalances that lead to chronic muscle strain and soreness
• Muscle knots associated with fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, and other chronic problems
• Herniated discs that compress spinal nerve tissue
• Excess weight from obesity or pregnancy
• Congenital deformities such as scoliosis
• Chronic muscle or connective strain due to stress, overuse, or repetitive motion
• Arthritis in the facet joints that mobilize your spinal column
• Degenerative disc disease, a condition in which the spinal discs bulge and flatten

Chronic back pain doesn’t always limit itself to your back. Conditions that involve pinched nerve roots may send pain and other odd sensations into your upper or lower extremities.

PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN HELP TO ACHIEVE RELIEF.

Although experiencing back pain can cause a person to feel weak and powerless over their body and physical abilities, you don’t have to fall into that mental trap! Thankfully, there’s help for this kind of condition. A physical therapist can analyze your current condition to determine the exact cause of your symptoms. From there, they can prescribe physical therapy stretches and exercises, as well as advise you about changing your lifestyle to help maintain optimal comfort every day.

Here are some tips you can incorporate into your new pain-management routine:

• Cut back on stress – Being stressed out causes tight muscles in your neck, back, and other areas of your body. Yoga, meditation, and other stress-busting techniques can help you keep your back muscles relaxed.
• Invest in proper workplace ergonomics – Move things around in your workplace so that you can reach frequently-needed items with a minimum of stooping, bending, or twisting. Try to find an ergonomic chair or standing desk as well to decrease back pain.
• Eat a healthier diet. – There’s a big emphasis on consuming anti-inflammatory foods, as they are “nature’s medicine” for chronic pain. Our physical therapist can also prescribe exercises to help you lose weight, thus taking pressure off of your spine.
• Get enough exercise – Regular physical therapy exercises to strengthen your core muscles (including the muscles of the abdomen, pelvis and lower back) can stabilize your spine and ease muscle pain.

Change your sleeping position – Switch to a different type of mattress or adjust your sleep position to minimize nighttime (and next-day) pain.

PHYSICAL THERAPY TREATMENT MIGHT BE YOUR BEST OPTION…

If you’re tired of experiencing the same back pain day in and day out, it’s time to make a change. Are you ready to learn more about how to fight chronic back pain? Contact our physical therapy office today! We’ll schedule you for your first one-on-one consultation with one of our licensed therapists and have you on track to feeling your best in no time at all.

SOURCES:

• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tension-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20353977