More than 90% of people experience headaches. If you’re one of them, you may be looking for a drug-free, natural form of relief.

Osteopathy has been shown as a safe and effective alternative to taking painkillers for your headache.

Headaches take many forms. Understanding the type of headache you have is critical to effective treatment.

Here at Good Health Centre in Leeds, our osteopaths can evaluate your headache. With many types of headache, we can ease the pain and help prevent future recurrences. With over 500,000 treatments under our belt, we know how to provide safe and effective treatment.

Headaches come in many varieties with different underlying causes. Most are ‘primary’ headaches – that is, headaches that don’t arise from another problem.

Types of headache are distinguished by the nature of the pain, how and when it happens, and where in the head you feel it.

Headaches can be sudden, intense, or throbbing. You may feel them in the back, top or side of your head, in your face, or in one or both eyes.

Some headaches occur on only one side of the head, such as migraines. They can be accompanied by other sensations, like flashing lights, nausea and vomiting.

Other headaches are dull and feel like a band or pressure around the head.

And there are many possible triggers. Food, stress, dehydration, hormone changes, infections, poor sleep, and even painkiller use are all linked to headaches.

Fortunately, by far the most common types of headache are ones that osteopathy can help with.

If you experience one-sided or all-over headaches accompanied by neck, back or shoulder pain, feelings of tightness or tension, scalp tenderness, or ache behind the eyes, it’s very likely our osteopaths can help you.

And there’s a growing body of evidence showing that osteopathy can benefit migraine sufferers, both in alleviating pain and preventing recurrences.

In most cases, there are factors in the muscles and joints of the neck and upper back that contribute to such headaches. Osteopaths can identify and treat these issues.

Osteopaths understand the mechanical and neural connections between the structures of the body, and how poor function in one area can cause pain and problems elsewhere.

As one example of this connection, did you know pain in the eyes can be caused by muscles at the back of the head? These ‘suboccipital’ muscles, which are at the base of the skull, fine-tune the position of the head. Stiffness or rounding of the upper back means the suboccipital muscles must work hard to tilt the head upwards. Tension in these muscles can affect nearby nerves, sending pain over the head and into the eyes.

An osteopath can assess your headache and determine whether treatment can help you. Osteopaths are trained in clinical evaluation and diagnostics.

A combination of massage, mobilisation or other techniques applied around the head, neck, back or other areas can correct the issues that trigger your headache, giving you long-term relief.

And beyond the treatment room, your osteopath can offer guidance and advice on stretches, exercises and lifestyle changes that can reduce or prevent headache recurrences.