Headaches

Physical therapy can be a great treatment option for individuals who are looking to seek relief from chronic head pain. At Hallmark Physiotherapy, you’ll work with an expert physical therapist who will work to identify the potential underlying causes of your head pain with a thorough evaluation. From there, your PT will develop a customised rehabilitation plan that caters to your unique needs and goals to help you alleviate your chronic head pain.

1) Dizziness and Balance

2) Headache

3) Vertigo

Vertigo, in particular, “benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)”, is a common disorder in which the patient complains of spinning and dizziness with rapid changes in head positions. BPPV is typically idiopathic (of unknown cause) in nature. Other reported causes are head trauma, vestibular neuritis (inflamed vestibulo-cochlear nerve), vertebrobasilar ischemia (inadequate blood flow to the brain), and inner ear infection.

It is hypothesised that small particles (called otoconia) in the semicircular canals over-stimulate the sense organs (hair cells and cupula). This results in patient complaints of dizziness and the observation of nystagmus in the direction of head rotation. The dizziness may last anywhere from a few seconds to a minute, and there may be associated nausea.

Brandt-Daroff and canalith repositioning movements (Epley Manoeuvre) are the most common therapeutic interventions. The goal of these treatments is to move the small particles within the semicircular canal to the utricle, where they are no longer able to stimulate the sense organs within the canal.

Quality research studies show significant numbers of patients that experience a resolution of symptoms and negative diagnostic tests for BPPV after treatment intervention as compared to the control groups.

While BPPV is a common diagnosis for those suffering from dizziness, there are other causes of vertigo (both central and peripheral). Thus, it is important to consult your doctor and physical therapist regarding the proper diagnosis and treatment of vertigo.

4) TMJ disorders

TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDERS (TMD) Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a term that describes an entire group of disorders involving the temporomandibular joint or joints (TMJ). The TMJs are the jaw joints. There is one on each side of your head just in front of your ear canals. Like many other joints in the body, they consist of:

muscles that control joint movement,
ligaments that hold the bones together,
the cartilage that provides a smooth surface for the bones to move on
a disc that helps with proper movement of the bones, and elastic tissue that helps to hold the disc in place.

One or more of the above tissues can cause symptoms. In fact, studies suggest that one-third of the population at any one time experiences TMJ symptoms such as pain with chewing, yawning, or jaw opening. Women seem to have TMJ problems much more often than men. There are a variety of temporomandibular disorders. The muscles (myogenous), joint(s) (arthrogenous), or a combination of the two may cause pain. Since physical therapists treat muscle and joint problems, they are ideally suited to address a TMD. Moreover, a majority of patients diagnosed with TMD also have associated neck pain. Both respond well to treatment provided by a physical therapist. No other healthcare practitioner is better suited to address both TMD and neck pain compared to a physical therapist. Here at Hallmark Physiotherapy, You are properly educated so that you have a clear understanding about our treatment which is conservative, cost-effective, and reversible. Our goals are realistic, and your examination is brief and meant to identify your source(s) of pain. When a physical therapist performs the examination, they will be able to classify you as having one or more of the following:

An inflammatory condition
Limited jaw range of motion
Excessive jaw range of motion
Arthrogenous Disc Displacement
Jaw muscle pain
Neck pain causing related headaches (sometimes mistaken as TMD)

Once the involved structures are identified, the therapist will be able to provide you with the appropriate treatment using exercises or equipment, often together.