Alec: I spoke with another Curelator user, who was a doctor and who also had neck pain as a protector. He does daily massage of his shoulder muscles; 5 to 10 minutes, lying – back down with a roller. He lies down on the roller and believes it lessens neck tension from sitting at a desk and also that it relieves his migraines. He added that he tries to be really conscious of when he is‘ scrunched up’ while sitting.
Helen: I am also much more aware of my posture now than before I started physiotherapy … when my physiotherapist taped my trapezius muscle, the relief was immediate. I left it on for 10 days and the goal was to retrain my muscles. I think the tension there starts off my neck pain.
Alec: Helen have you noticed a relationship between your neck pain exercises and your attacks?
Helen: Yes, one point of interest is that due to an injury, I have had to stop all lower back exercises, and since then I’ ve noticed a significant increase in headache intensity and duration, neck and shoulder pain. I also noticed a few days ago that the neck pain as a protector has suddenly disappeared. So, perhaps cutting back on my exercises is what caused neck pain to disappear as a protector and that may help explain my increase in headaches.
INSTRUCTION FOR CERVICAL NECK RETRACTION:
1. Lean against a wall, shoulders and bottom touching, knees slightly bent, 6 inches from wall, hip width apart.
2. Lean back of head against wall. Slide head up the wall, bringing chin down, but not looking down, giving yourself a double chin. Hold this position. Build up to 5 minutes.
Alec: That is very interesting – you were actually doing a natural experiment! The other unusual protector that appeared on your maps is sadness.
Helen: Yes, I was surprised to see that too. It was associated with a bereavement. There was no time for sitting down and moping around. So I felt incredibly sad but I was with people. There have been other times when I was really sad and didn’ t have a headache, probably because we were remembering the fun times or the good times. They both had to do with bereavements.
Alec: There is substantial evidence in clinical literature and among physiotherapists to support the use of Cervical Neck Retraction to alleviate headaches associated with neck pain. However, it is advisable for patients to consult their personal physicians before trying the exercises described in this article. HW
1. Aokhealth, NeckTek, Cervical Pain and the Deep Neck Flexors. Access at: https:// aokhealth. securestand. com / xq / ASP / SellerID. 4750 / ProductID. 2626 / qx / pdf / Cervical _ Pain _ and _ the _ Deep _ Neck _ Flexors. pdf
2. Mian A, Donoghue S. A new tool for identifying headache triggers and symptoms. Head Wise 2015; 5:22-25.
3. Page P. Cervicogenic headaches: An evidence-led approach to clinical management. Int J Sports Phys Ther 2011; 6:254 – 266.
4. van Ettekoven, Lucas C. Efficacy of physiotherapy including a craniocervical training programme for tensiontype headache; A randomized clinical trial. Cephalalgia 2006; 26:983 – 991.
34 HeadWise ® | Volume 6, Issue 2 • 2016