More Than Half of Des Moines Suffers from Headaches at Least Once a Month

More than half of Des Moines residents (62%) experience headaches at least once a month, according to recent findings from Athletico Physical Therapy. Despite being plagued with headache pain, only 25% of those surveyed know that physical therapy is effective in treating headaches originating from tension and neck issues.

“By choosing an over-the-counter treatment for headaches, people are often only masking their symptoms rather than treating the root cause,” said Dan Halfman, Physical Therapist at Athletico’s Ankeny clinic. “Incorporating physical therapy into a headache treatment plan can help to reduce headaches at their source.”

Included below are tips for headache sufferers that help to address what’s causing the headache:

1. Reduce tension: Headaches are often tension-related, which feels like dull pain, tightness, or pressure around your forehead, and can be compounded by anxiety and stress. If you sit for several hours a day, rising every 30 minutes for a short walk/stretch will help relieve stress and anxiety levels. Improve your overall posture by imagining you’re tucking your shoulders in your back pockets while sitting, which helps promote a neutral spine and support neck muscles.

2. Change your sleep position: Lack of sleep is the top report for Des Moines residents’ headaches, with 67% listing it as the reason. Lack of sleep, poor sleeping posture, and clenching/grinding your teeth all can contribute to dreaded morning headaches. Sleep on your back or side to support for your back and neck while decreasing pressure on your jaw.

3. Rethink your breathing: Using breathing techniques that incorporate your diaphragm can help decrease tension in neck and upper body muscles. Shallow breathing, often associated with stress and poor posture, drives the overuse of neck and shoulder muscles and contributes to subsequent headaches.

4. Take frequent computer breaks with these gentle stretches: Neck tension, one of the most common headache causes, is exacerbated by prolonged sitting. To help with posture and muscle alignment, practice exercises like: Head Nodding: slowly nod up and down in an upright position, Spine Rotation: grasp the back of your chair while keeping your hips and knees forward, rotate shoulders/spine to look over the back of your chair and Chest Stretch: clasp your hands behind your back, straighten your elbows while lifting your chest towards the ceiling.

With these preventative tips, you can decrease the chances of being sidelined by bothersome headaches and get back to your day. For more information, or to schedule an appointment for a complimentary injury screen, you can visit Athletico.com.