Headaches & Migraines
Physical therapy helps most with headaches that come from the neck and with tension-type headaches, both often tied to posture and tight neck and shoulder muscles. For migraines it works alongside your doctor and can help with how often they happen. Our physical therapists in Laguna Niguel start by finding out how your neck, jaw and posture are involved.
The headaches physical therapy treats
Cervicogenic headache
A headache that starts in the neck and spreads up the back of the head, sometimes to behind the eye. It often comes with a stiff neck and eases when the neck moves better.
Tension-type headache
A band-like ache across the forehead or the base of the skull, linked to tight neck and shoulder muscles and long hours at a screen.
Migraine
Physical therapy does not replace a neurologist. It can be part of your care, especially when neck tension is one of your triggers.
How the neck, the jaw and your posture feed a headache
A headache at the base of the skull is a common sign that the upper neck is involved. The jaw is another, so if you clench or your jaw clicks, read jaw pain, and for the neck itself read neck pain. We also look at how you sit and stand, because a head carried forward loads the muscles that end at the skull.
For migraines, we say plainly what physical therapy can and cannot do: it can ease neck tension and teach you habits that lower your triggers, and your headache plan stays with your doctor.
What a visit for headaches involves
A careful history
When the headaches start, where, how long they last and what sets them off, including daily headaches.
A check of your neck
We test how the upper neck moves and which movements or pressure bring on your headache.
Your plan
Hands-on care for the neck and upper back, exercises, and changes to posture and workstation, with a way to track your headaches.
More about headaches from the LOR blog
Go to the ER if you have
Some headaches need a doctor, not a physical therapist.
- A sudden “worst headache of my life”
- A headache with weakness, slurred speech, confusion or loss of vision
- A headache after a head injury
Whether your insurance plan needs a referral differs from plan to plan: call the number on your insurance card to check, or call us before your first visit and we will help you find out.
Questions about headaches
What is a tension headache?
A tension headache is a band-like ache across the forehead or the base of the skull, often tied to tight neck and shoulder muscles and long hours at a screen.
How can a headache come from the neck?
A headache from the neck, called cervicogenic, starts in the upper neck joints and muscles and spreads up the back of the head. It often eases when the neck moves and sits better.
Can physical therapy for migraines help?
Physical therapy for migraines works alongside your doctor, not instead of one. It can ease neck tension and teach habits that lower your triggers.
Why do I get a headache behind the eyes?
A headache behind the eyes can come from tension in the upper neck and the muscles at the base of the skull, and sometimes from other causes that need a doctor. A sudden severe headache needs the ER.
Related care
Headache care in Laguna Niguel, California
LOR Physical Therapy treats headache at our Laguna Niguel clinic, 31271 Niguel Road, Suite J, for patients across South Orange County.
Whether your insurance plan needs a referral differs from plan to plan: call the number on your insurance card to check, or call us before your first visit and we will help you find out.
Meet the people who treat you on our team page.