During our recent session – Headaches: Manual Therapy Treatment of Common Causes, we discussed the primary types of headaches seen in clinical practice, the physiology of why these headaches may begin, and how to lessen headache intensity and frequency.
This class, held at the Kennedy Krieger Institute International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at White Marsh on May 3-4, 2025, reviewed the anatomy, biomechanics, pathophysiology, and neurology of the potential sites of headache initiation. Particular attention was given to the anatomy of the upper cervical spine and cranium, and the autonomic nervous system feedback loops between the upper cervical ganglia, trigeminal nerve and ganglia, and facial, glossopharyngeal, and vagus nerves. We discussed the pathway of how the regions of the head and neck in headaches become sensitized, which can lead to headaches becoming chronic and how certain lifestyle changes can lessen the impact headaches can have in our patients.
Various methods of evaluation of the upper cervical spine, cranium, and autonomic nervous system were presented to help more precisely identify the areas of potential headache triggers. Multiple treatment options were demonstrated and practiced that included biomechanical treatment of the cervical spine and cranium, fascial release of restrictions in the anterior neck and head; and balancing of autonomic nervous system imbalances.
We look forward to our next course, Vagus Nerve Disorders: A Manual Therapy Approach on September 27-28, 2025.