Jo and her migraines that cause her head pain

Jo had suffered with migraines when she was an adolescent and was seeing a return of them in her late 40’s. Her GP and previous osteopath had pointed out that her family history and times of hormonal change increase the likelihood of her being a migraine sufferer. The medication prescribed to her helped if she took it at the first sign of an attack. However sometimes Jo would wake with a migraine and there was nothing she could do to help. It was her GP that suggested she seek the opinion of our practice.

Jo’s spinal curves had a natural tendency to be stiff at the top of her back meaning that her neck would be likely to work harder in order to achieve movement. On sitting Jo had a forward-chin posture which encourages the neck muscles to also work harder in order to hold the head upright. During our assessment we found the top of the neck to have mild wear and tear with several trigger points within the muscles. These are areas of tight muscles which when pressed cause pain elsewhere. Jo’s trigger points caused her to have pain over her right eye.

Over 3 sessions Jo’s joint movement and muscle tightness had improved. Her trigger-points had reduced too. We saw Jo at monthly intervals for 3 months to maintain her tissue health but also to pass over the control of managing her problem. Her symptoms are much less intense and whilst she still has migraines they are less frequent and more responsive to painkillers.