Manual therapy includes a range of palpation techniques designed to treat stress-related disorders of soft tissue and skeletal systems. As manual therapists we can also offer an individual headache prevention plan to help avoid the onset of headaches. This might include counseling on home care,  correct posture, sleep habits, exercise and diet. 

We are also recognize that, while the overwhelming majority of headaches are caused by muscle and soft tissue disorders, there are other causes of headaches, which have underlying medical causes and require the attention of a physician.  Some headaches may have more that one cause.

But with 90% of headaches coming from muscle contraction and tension, manual therapy has the ability to treat the cause of most headaches, rather than simply controlling the symptoms.

Osteopathic manual therapy may involve different techniques, including neuromuscular therapy, craniofacial therapy, myofascial therapy, joint mobilization and other forms of manual therapy.

This evaluation may include the temporary reproduction and easing of headache pain through palpation techniques. By recreating the headache and then relieving it, we can localize the exact sources of the headache pain (there may be more than one), which greatly increases the likelihood of a successful treatment outcome. This need to temporarily reproduce the headache is why patients are advised not to begin any pain medication prior to their initial visit.

Once a soft tissue cause of the headache is identified, the therapist can recommend a treatment plan and home program. Typically, two visits every week are sufficient to reduce or eliminate soft tissue headaches.

The longer one waits to seek evaluation and begin a treatment program, the more chronic the condition may become, and the more treatments may be required.