Headache relief is a desire that many patients have. Headaches can be triggered from a variety of different causes, from poor sleep, certain foods, alcohol, muscle spasms, bad posture, repetitive movements, poor ergonomics and more. Improving the body’s mechanics, position, and posture is a widely accepted and promoted tool to prevent discomfort. These manual changes can include exercise, stretching, chiropractic care, massage, and other therapies.

Some individuals are required to sit in the same static position for long periods of time resulting in poor posture, increased pain, and headaches. This prolonged inactivity can create a vicious cycle, leading to more pain and discomfort that never seems to resolve. Many patients report that headache is most common symptom that results from poor posture, and inactivity.

One type of headache is caused by shortening of the muscles in the neck and at the base of the skull and is referred to as a cervicogenic headache. These tight muscles can provoke painful knots to form at the base of the skull and are called trigger points. These trigger points can send pain up the neck and to different parts of the head. Dry needling is a treatment method for releasing the tension in the muscles and relieving pain.

The tightness located in the neck muscles usually occurs as a result of incorrect posture patterns. Due to stresses of different kinds, many of patients tend to hold a lot of tension in the shoulder and neck muscles. Different stressors that can contribute to headaches include:

• Emotional Stress
• Muscle fatigue
• General poor posture
• Poorly designed work stations
• Carrying heavy objects
• Shoulder straps from a heavy bag
• Prolonged sitting while driving

Shortened muscles can lead to shifting of your neck into a forward head position. Pulling of the muscles at the base of the skill and in the neck leads to pain extending up and around the head. The pain can also travel to behind the eyes and around the temples. Over the counter painkillers may dull the pain; however, the problem is still there. The goal of dry needling is to relieve the tight neck muscles to restore muscle length, decrease pain and provide headache relief. After the pain subsides, we can address posture issues.

Dry Needling helps to Achieve Headache Relief

Dry needling allows the tension in the neck muscles to be released. Certain types of tension headaches are caused by muscular and therefore can be addressed directly. Trigger points are tight areas of muscle that are generally caused by some sort of trauma or repeated strain. Once the needle is inserted into the trigger points, a response occurs resulting in a release in tension and increased blood flow to the area. This helps decrease the pain.

Additional techniques such as chiropractic, stretching, at home exercises, and manual therapies can help in conjunction with dry needling to provide long term headache relief.