Neck pain and headache are commonly experienced by Australians.  What most Australians don't know is that if untreated, the prognosis for neck pain and headache is not good.  Both neck pain and headache frequently re-occur or symptoms may persist.

Our team of expert physiotherapists are experienced in assessing all the possible causes for neck pain and headache.  For neck pain these include joint and muscle dysfunction, disc bulge or degeneration, nerve irritation or compression and central sensitization of the nervous system in the case of chronic pain.

What most Australians don't know is that often headaches can be caused by dysfunction of joints and muscles in the upper neck.  These are called cervicogenic headaches.  They are different to migraine headaches which are vascular in origin.  Our team of expert physiotherapists are experienced in assessing upper neck joint dysfunction to determine if this is the cause of your headache.  Management of neck pain and headache is lead by Trudy Rebbeck, who has years of experience and is a specialist in the field of neck pain and headache.

Your treatment of neck pain and headache will always begin with a thorough assessment.  Our physiotherapists will assess the joint and muscle function together with advanced assessment if required.  This may include assessment of complex syndromes that often accompany headache including dizziness, jaw pain and numbness and pins and needles.

Treatment will initially involve specific and expert manual/manipulative therapy.  All of our musculoskeletal physiotherapists have a Masters degree in the management of spinal pain and an average of 15 years experience.

Almost always, neck pain and headache is associated with muscle dysfunction.  Just like the core muscles of the lower back, the deep muscles in the neck can be weakened through pain or injury.  The joints of the neck become stressed and painful and the surface muscles become tight, tired and sore.

If this sounds familiar, you'll be pleased to hear that we can help.  Precise and specific retraining exercises under the supervision of our team will decrease the intensity, frequency and duration of both neck pain and headaches.

Bay Active Physio has a strong background in research relating to neck pain and headache and whiplash.  Bay Active Physio has been part of an Australia-wide trial on the management of headache originating in the neck.  According to the trial, the most effective treatment for reducing headache is specific manipulative physiotherapy and specific deep cervical neck strengthening.  Having specialist expertise in manipulative physiotherapy means we can effectively incorporate these principles into our treatment regimens.