EXERCISE FOR HEADACHES

H eadaches Exercise for

Jennifer Smallridge

Although common, headaches are unpleasant and can stop us in our tracks. There are many different causes for headaches, but if you are experiencing a new or intense pain in your head, it is always worth getting checked out by a trusted health professional.

There are various structures of the head that can cause what we know as a ‘headache’, including:

• the muscles & skin of the head

• the nerves of the head & neck

• the arteries leading to the brain

• the inside of the ears, nose & throat

• the sinuses, which form part of the respiratory system.

Pain in the head can also be ‘referred’, which means that it comes from a different part of the body, most commonly the neck. Regardless of the cause, being healthy and active is going to reduce the risk of having regular headaches.

Discover some selfmanagement strategies, & learn how to help headaches yourself, naturally!

Physical activity turns down the ‘alarm system’ of pain.

Generally being fit and regularly exercising is one of the best medicines available. A review of the research into non-pharmacological pain management, demonstrates that physical therapy is one of the widely used approaches when it comes to pain management. This could take the form of going for a daily walk, swimming, riding a bike, or anything that gets you gently puffing. The same review showed that exercise increased the levels of endorphins in people with migraines, which provides a natural hypoalgesia (pain-killing) effect.

Targeted trigger point therapy.

Another one to try is the gentle stretching and releasing of myofascial trigger points in the muscles. A trigger point is just a tender spot within a muscle, which can lead to referred pain when stretched or pressed on. If you have a massage ball or tennis ball, you can gently place it under the muscles of the head and neck to ‘deactivate’ the trigger point. If you are unsure, always consult with a health professional. The trigger point theory also explains how massages can be painful at the time but can result in a reduction in headache severity and frequency afterwards.

Just two minutes can help.

One study found that simple exercises with a resistance band (rows, lateral raises, shoulder shrugs) completed for just two minutes every day for 10 weeks reduced the frequency of headaches. It is thought that strengthening up the neck and shoulder muscles helps to keep them oxygenated and prevent the feelings of ‘tightness’ that can eventually lead to head pain. This research is exciting as two minutes per day is very achievable!

The take home message.

Headaches do not have to be a part of everyday life, and exercise is extremely effective at reducing the frequency and severity of them. For extra guidance, an Accredited Exercise Physiologist can ensure that exercises are safe and appropriate for your body.

Jennifer Smallridge is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist at Beyond in Blackburn and Hawthorn (Victoria), as well as an Academic Lecturer in the fields of Exercise Science and Functional Human Anatomy.

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