The answer is often. Headaches are complex and can have many causes. Physical therapy can address the things that contribute to headaches, such as tight muscles, poor posture, effects of whiplash, jaw issues, even how you move your head. There are people who talk with their hands – and believe it or not – there are people who talk with their head, emphasizing their words with excessive nodding. Consequently, this habit will cause headaches, and is frequently missed by medical professionals. A physical therapist can evaluate your flexibility, strength, posture, and even movement patterns and habits. They can work with you to improve these various causes of headaches. Here are a few simple tips to help in the short term:

1.     Try to keep your chin/jaw line 90 degrees to the neck. When the chin drifts upwards, it compresses the neck at the base of the skull which causes headaches.
2.     Support your arms when sitting. Your arms have weight. The weight of your arms can pull your shoulders down and forward which leads to the head pushing forward. This also causes compression at the top of the neck.
3.     Place your tongue on the roof of the mouth, teeth slightly open, with lips closed. This is the neutral position of the jaw/TMJ joint. Many headaches are caused by clenching in the jaw.

In the long term, physical therapy is a great option for headache relief. If you have migraine headaches and have never tried physical therapy, it is worth a try. While physical therapy will not change true migraines, it can change the tension headaches which often lead to a migraine. This can lead to a significant decrease in the frequency of migraines.