Headaches & Stress London

At some point it is more than likely that you have suffered from a headache or migraine.

Some headaches can come and go within a few minutes, whilst others can give prolonged pain.

Migraines too can be severe causing that ‘splitting pain’ and the feeling of nausea is also quite common for a lot of people.

Mike Squirrell Physiotherapy Harley Street W1 are here to help diagnose and treat your headaches and migraines.

Damon Neil

/ BBC

“I saw Mike after an ACL reconstruction on my right knee. Mike's rehabilitation program was comprehensive. With his professional guidance I was back on the ski and football fields stronger and fitter than ever.”

Kathryn Thomas

Analyst / Goldman Sachs

“I injured my knee badly skiing and I was worried I might never ski again. Mike knew just what to do to sort me out and had me back on the sloped in 3 weeks. Amazing!!”

Kelly Vickers

/ Ernst & Young

“My upper back and shoulders had been really painful for years. Mike found the root of the problem and sorted it in just a few sessions.”

Harry Williams

/ Waterman Group Plc

"I have seen Cuong for a number of issues over the last 12 months. He's friendly, professional and explains things so that you can understand whats happening and how the treatment is going to help you. Most importantly he has helped me with whatever issues I have had and got me back to what I want to be doing as quickly as possible. Thanks Cuong"

Nicholas Pontt

/ Phoebus Capital Partners

"Cuong is fantastic. Professional, friendly, empathic, and most importantly for me, he has helped bring comfort back into my day. I've had a residual plantar fascia and ankle problem from my Australian Rules Football days but thanks to Cuong, my condition continues to improve. He is also pragmatic and manages my expectations superbly which is no small feat."

Alistair Roland

Investment Banker / Deutsche Bank

“Mike’s treatments are invaluable, and delivered real results. I noticed a significant improvement in my health and energy levels. He is truly the king of backs.”

Appointments call 0203 174 2120

Headache Treatment London

A headache (cephalalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. It ranks amongst the most common local pain complaints and may be frequent for many people.

The vast majority of headaches are benign and self-limiting. Common causes are tension, migraine, eye strain, dehydration, low blood sugar, hyper mastication and sinusitis. Much rarer are headaches due to life-threatening conditions such as meningitis, encephalitis, cerebral aneurysms, extremely high blood pressure, and brain tumors. When the headache occurs in conjunction with a head injury the cause is usually quite evident. A large percentage of headaches among women are caused by ever-fluctuating estrogen during menstrual years. This can occur prior to, or even during midcycle menstruation.

Treatment of an uncomplicated headache is usually symptomatic with over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin, paracetamol (acetaminophen), or ibuprofen, although some specific forms of headaches (e.g., migraines) may demand other, more suitable treatment. It may be possible to relate the occurrence of a headache to other particular triggers (such as stress or particular foods), which can then be avoided. Return to types of headaches

Diagnosing Headaches

While, statistically, headaches are most likely to be harmless and self-limiting, some specific headache syndromes may demand specific treatment or may be warning signals of more serious disorders. Some headache subtypes are characterized by a specific pattern of symptoms, and no further testing may be necessary, while others may prompt further diagnostic tests.

Headache associated with specific symptoms may warrant urgent medical attention, particularly sudden, severe headache or sudden headache associated with a stiff neck; headaches associated with fever, convulsions or accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness; headaches following a blow to the head, or associated with pain in the eye or ear; persistent headache in a person with no previous history of headaches; and recurring headache in children.

The most important step in diagnosing a headache is for the physician to take a careful history and to examine the patient. In the majority of cases the diagnosis will be a “primary headache” which means that the headache, whilst unpleasant is not occurring as a manifestation of a more serious condition. The main types of primary headache are tension headache, migraine, and the trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias of which cluster headache is an example. As it is often difficult for patients to recall the precise details regarding each headache, it is often useful for the sufferer to fill-out a “headache diary” detailing the characteristics of the headache. When the headache does not clearly fit into one of the recognized primary headache syndromes or when atypical symptoms or signs are present then further investigations are justified. Computed tomography (CT/CAT) scans of the brain or sinuses are commonly performed, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in specific settings. Blood tests may help narrow down the differential diagnosis, but are rarely confirmatory of specific headache forms.

Appointments call 0203 174 2120

Treatment for Headaches

Not all headaches require medical attention, and many respond with simple analgesia (painkillers) such as paracetamol/acetaminophen or members of the NSAID class (such as aspirin/acetylsalicylic acid or ibuprofen).

It is often useful to keep a ‘headache diary’ when symptoms are recurrent.  Entries may include the type, associated symptoms, precipitating and aggravating factors. This may reveal specific patterns, such as an association with medication, menstruation or absenteeism or with certain foods. It was reported in March 2007 by two separate teams of researchers that stimulating the brain with implanted electrodes appears to help ease the pain of cluster headaches.

How to prevent headaches

Some forms of headache, such as migraine, may be amenable to preventative treatment. On the whole, long-term use of painkillers is discouraged as this may lead to drug induced headaches and “rebound headaches” on withdrawal. Caffeine, a vasoconstrictor, is sometimes prescribed or recommended as a remedy or supplement to pain killers in the case of extreme migraine. This has led to the development of paracetamol/caffeine analgesic.

Petasites, magnesium, feverfew. riboflavin, CoQ10, and melatonin are “natural” supplements that have shown some efficacy for migraine prevention; a 2006 review tentatively ranked petasites and magnesium with the best evidence, and melatonin with by far the least. Adverse events included sore mouth and tongue (including ulcers) and abdominal pain for feverfew.Return to types of headaches

Appointments call 0203 174 2120

Migraines London

Migraine is a neurological syndrome characterized by altered bodily experiences, painful headaches, and nausea. It is a common condition which affects women more frequently than men.

The typical migraine headache is one-sided and pulsating, lasting 4 to 72 hours. Accompanying complaints are nausea and vomiting, and a heightened sensitivity to bright lights (photophobia) and noise (hyperacusis). Approximately one third of people who experience migraines get a preceding aura, in which a patient may sense a strange light or unpleasant smell.

It is not known what the exact cause of a migraine it although the widespread theory is that it is linked to a disorder of the serotonergic control system. Recently, PET scans have demonstrated the aura to coincide with spreading cortical depression after an episode of greatly increased blood flow (up to 300% higher than baseline). There also appear to be migraine variants that originate in the brainstem and involve dysfunction in calcium and potassium ion transport between cell membranes. Genetic factors may also contribute. Studies on twins show that genes have a 60 to 65% influence on the development of migraine. Fluctuating hormone levels show a relation to migraine in several ways: three quarters of adult migraine patients are female while migraine affects approximately equal numbers of boys and girls before puberty,and migraine is known to disappear during pregnancy in a substantial number of sufferers.

Treatment oftens starts with simple painkillers for the headache as well as anti-emetics for nausea, and avoidance of triggers if present. Specific anti-migraine drugs can be used to treat migraine. If the condition is severe and frequent enough, preventative drugs might be considered.

The word migraine is French in origin and comes from the Greek hemicrania, as does the Old English term megrim. Literally, hemicrania means “half (the) head”.

Migraine Pain

A migraine can consist of combinations from a whole range of symptoms.  The typical migraine headache is unilateral, throbbing, moderate to severe and can be aggravated by physical activity. The pain may be bilateral at the onset or start on one side and become generalized, and usually alternates sides from one attack to the next. The onset is usually gradual. The pain peaks and then subsides, and usually lasts between 4 and 72 hours in adults and 1 and 48 hours in children. The frequency of attacks is extremely variable, from a few in a lifetime to several times a week, and the average migraineur experiences from one to three headaches a month. The head pain varies greatly in intensity.

The pain of migraine is invariably accompanied by other features. Nausea occurs in almost 90 percent of patients, while vomiting occurs in about one third of patients. Many patients experience sensory hyperexcitability manifested by photophobia, phonophobia, osmophobia and seek a dark and quiet room. Blurred vision, nasal stuffiness, diarrhea, polyuria, pallor or sweating may be noted during the headache phase. There may be localized edema of the scalp or face, scalp tenderness, prominence of a vein or artery in the temple, or stiffness and tenderness of the neck. Impairment of concentration and mood are common. Lightheadedness, rather than true vertigo and a feeling of faintness may occur. The extremities tend to be cold and moist. Return to types of headaches

Physio & Migraines

A number of forms of alternative medicine, particularly bodywork, are used in preventing migraines.

Massage therapy, physical therapy, and Bowen Technique are often very effective forms of treatment to reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines. However, it is important to be treated by a well-trained therapist who understands the pathophysiology of migraines. It is advisable to start sessions as short in duration and then work up to longer treatments. Likewise, some migraine sufferers find relief through physiotherapy care.

Stress headaches can build up from building neck stiffness caused by having frequent. Claims have been made that Myofascial Release can relieve this tension and in doing so reduce or eliminate the stress headache element.

Some migraine sufferers find relief through acupuncture, which is usually used to help prevent headaches from developing. Sometimes acupuncture is used to relieve the pain of an active migraine headache. In one controlled trial of acupuncture with a sham control in migraine, the acupuncture was not more effective than the sham acupuncture but was more effective than delayed acupuncture.

Additionally acupressure is used by some for relief. For instance pressure between the thumbs and index finger to help subside headaches if the headache or migraine isn’t too severe.

Incense and scents are shown to help. The smell and incense of peppermint and lavender have been proven to help with migraines and headaches more so than most other scents. However, some scents can be a trigger factor.

Appointments call 0203 174 2120

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