Living without a headache: advice from an osteopath

Headaches are usually divided into primary (migraine and tension headache) and secondary, arising against the background of the underlying disease (for example, with an increase in blood pressure or after an injury). Since secondary headaches require, first of all, the treatment of the leading disease, let’s talk in detail about the first group – especially since in 95% of cases patients seek medical help with just such pain.

Until now, scientists argue about the causes of primary headaches. They do not pose a danger to life, but they seriously worsen its quality: discomfort and unpleasant sensations sometimes deprive us of the opportunity to adequately perform our usual actions.

The biopsychosocial approach is increasingly being used to treat headaches. What does it mean? First, each case is studied individually. Secondly, a psychological consultation may be prescribed, since the percentage of emotional disorders (for example, various anxiety-depressive disorders) is increasing among patients with headache. It is always better to get to the root cause than to mute the symptom. Thirdly, the main strategy of treatment is the reduction of drugs to a minimum, ideally to zero. An important role among non-drug methods of elimination belongs to manual techniques, including osteopathy.

And finally, the basis of an integrated approach to the treatment and prevention of headaches today is the correction of lifestyle.

1.Healthy sleep

You need to get up and go to bed at the same time, even on weekends. Sleep should average 7,5 hours. Daytime naps can be helpful, but no more than 1,5 hours in the middle of the day.

“Larks” and “owls” exist only in our imagination: each person can train himself to go to bed early and get up early. To do this, you need to “win back” from yourself for half an hour a day. Set your alarm clock for an increasingly earlier time and, accordingly, go to bed earlier. So gradually you can come to a more reasonable schedule.

2.Entertainment

You need to eat at least three times a day, and ideally – five to six, in small portions. The main intake of carbohydrates should occur in the morning, proteins in the afternoon, and fiber in the evening. It is undesirable to go to bed with a feeling of hunger. You also need to drink enough water.

It is important for migraine sufferers to know that coffee, chocolate, bananas, nuts, avocados, cheeses, processed meats, canned foods, and alcohol, especially red and sparkling wine, can trigger migraine attacks.

3.Load

Those who spend a lot of time working at the computer should definitely do a little warm-up several times a day and play sports two to three times a week. Moderate fitness loads, especially outdoors, are an excellent way to prevent headache attacks. Movement activates the circulation of fluids and relieves the body of tension.

At the same time, try to avoid exhausting physical, prolonged static and especially psycho-emotional stress.

The best option is Nordic walking or walking on a treadmill. At the same time, for such activities, and for long walks, it is advisable to choose special orthopedic insoles that will create a cushioning layer between the leg and the ground, forming the correct position of the foot and easing the load on it.

4. Gadgets

This topic has already filled the teeth of many, and yet we repeat once again: it is better to turn off mobile phones at night or leave them outside the bedroom, and WiFi routers should not be located near workplaces and recreation areas.

5. Hormones

For some women, there is a clear relationship between headache attacks and the menstrual cycle. If this is your case, then hormone replacement therapy prescribed by a qualified gynecologist-endocrinologist can significantly improve the condition.

6.Pills

Often the provocateur of headaches is an incorrectly selected painkiller or excessive medication. There are so-called abuse pains, which aggravate the main headache. Before uncontrolled taking advertised drugs, you need to consult a specialist.

7. Exercise

Diaphragm relaxation exercises will help improve blood circulation and relieve tension.

Sitting with a straight back, close your eyes, place your hands on your lower ribs, calmly and slowly inhale or exhale 12 times. Breathe through your nose. The mouth should remain closed and the tip of the tongue should touch the palate behind the upper incisors.

Take a deep breath, filling the bottom of your lungs with air. At the same time, the stomach relaxes and inflates, the ribs under the arms and the chest gradually expand and open. On exhalation, the air leaves the lungs from top to bottom, the ribs fall, then the stomach is drawn in. Breathe slowly, 12 breaths are enough.

8. Osteopathy

Traditional medicine involves primarily taking medication to eliminate headaches. The osteopath, acting on the tissues of the body, weakens the tension, leading to a violation of the microcirculation of the main body fluids. Thus, the specialist eliminates the cause of the headache. The range of influences varies from quite strong (manual therapy) to micro-movements that are almost imperceptible to an outside observer, which require an accurate understanding of human anatomy and physiology. In fact, the osteopath creates all the necessary conditions to restore the natural balance in the body.