Frequently asked questions
I love and encourage questions however, commonly similar ones pop up, so here is a list of the most frequently asked questions and their answers to help you if you have been wondering the same things.
I’ve had my neck treated before so how is the Watson Headache Approach different?
Common manual therapy techniques utilised by osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors are specific for neck pain, not headaches and migraines. The Watson Headache Approach has been designed to specifically treat headaches and migraines and is the only manual therapy technique, with research to support it that addresses the underlying disorder of a migraine, brainstem sensitization.
I’ve tried everything out there, manual therapy, tablets, botox etc. Could this work for me?
Yes. For approximately 80% of people the cause of their headaches and migraines is their neck. Medication just aims for symptomatic relief therefore sometimes it might reduce them but you’re still suffering, it might reduce your symptoms for a while but then they return or it might not make any changes at all. Our approach targets the cause of your pain, not just your symptoms therefore we aim for long term results.
How you can be sure that it’s my neck so I don’t waste my time and money?
What we know is that migraines /headaches that are caused by the upper cervical joints in the neck have a particular set of features that are identified in your case history.
Then we confirm this with comprehensive testing that aims to mildly reproduce your head pain. It is a widely accepted thing in pain medicine that if we can reproduce your pain by a test then that area/structure is likely to be the cause .
So even before we start treating we are 95% sure that the cause is coming from your neck.
How many treatments does it take to see a change?
Often the joints in your neck have been stuck for a very long time and believe that their dysfunctional position is normal. Therefore we need to retrain them that that this is not normal in order to see changes in your headaches/migraines. In order to do this, we perform 2 treatments per week for the first 2 weeks, 1 treatment per week for the next 2 weeks and then we perform a review. In these 6 treatments we expect to be seeing significant changes in the intensity and/or frequency in your headaches/migraines in order to continue treatment.
I’ve heard that you try to reproduce my pain in the first session, I’m nervous that I will walk out with a headache/migraine.
In the initial consultation we aim to reproduce the pain of your headache/migraine. If we can do this it means that we have found the right area to treat and there is no guess-work, meaning that you are a strong candidate for treatment. But don’t be concerned, once the pressure is removed the pain goes away. Due to the nature of working with the headache and migraine joints it is a rare side effect that you might experience a headache/migraine post treatment but if that does occur, we work to make sure it does not happen next time.
Will I be given things to do at home to help my progress/are there things that I should avoid doing?
Performing your activities of daily living help give us an indication whether changes are being made so drastic changes to your lifestyle should not occur during treatment. However postural changes can and should be made as negative posture can encourage headache/migraine attacks. Depending on the individual, exercises may be given to further your progress at home to help keep your joints mobile.
What if it doesn’t work?
If your neck is identified as being the cause of your headaches/migraines and you follow our treatment recommendation precisely, we are very confident that we can help relieve your headaches and migraines. Unfortunately the laws in Australia prohibit us from guaranteeing a cure , but we do offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee for your first appointment. If we believe that it is not your neck that is causing your symptoms and that we cannot help you there is no charge and we will let you know what we think will work best for you (we know most sufferers have been promised a solution but they still have their migraines) we won’t begin treatment unless we are 95% sure that your case history and assessment both strongly indicate that your neck is the cause.
Does treatment involve manipulation?
No, treatment does not involve manipulations/neck cracking.
