Dr Beth (osteopath) suffered with chronic daily headaches for 7 years. After having brain scans, seeing many doctors, trying many medications and multiple forms of manual therapy (osteo, physio, massage), she was so sick of her pain! Nothing had worked and she was giving up hope that anything was going to. But as an osteopath she went looking deeper for answers for something that could help, and that’s how she came across the Watson Headache Ⓡ Approach.
The widely acknowledged underlying disorder in a headache and migraine is called brainstem sensitization. When the brainstem is sensitized, as it always is in a headache and migraine sufferer, it means that they are a headache/migraine waiting to happen 24/7. Any little thing, such as a poor night sleep, food triggers, hormones, stress etc can set off an attack at any time because the groundwork for a headache/migraine is already laid. So essentially the light switch is always turned on in a headache/migraine sufferer, it is just set to dim. When they get an attack, the light is turned up to bright. In order to stop the headaches/migraines from occurring, the light switch needs to be turned off. So how do we turn off the light switch?
The lower part of the brainstem is housed in the upper part of the neck and so when the neck is stuck in a dysfunctional position for a long time, it constantly sends pain signals up to the brainstem, leading to the sensitization and keeping it there, leading to the turning on of the light switch and keeping it on, therefore headaches/migraines. So we need to retrain the neck that it should not be in this dysfunctional position anymore so that it can no longer send those pain signals up to the brainstem, therefore decreasing the sensitization, therefore leading to the turning off of the light bulb, leading to a decrease in headaches and migraines.
The Watson Headache Approach is the only form of manual therapy, with research to back it, that treats both the cause, the neck, and the underlying disorder, brainstem sensitization, so that we can aim for long term results.
Dr Beth (osteopath) is headache free and has dedicated her work and life to treating and teaching others about headaches and migraines because she knows the difference that can be made.
If you think that your neck is contributing to your headaches and migraines, call now to book in for an assessment to start on your journey today.
