Headache is one of the most common conditions around Australia, with nearly 15 per cent of Australians relying on painkillers for treating their headaches at any given moment. Since headaches are so widespread, a lot of us believe they’re just a part of life.
However, a continuous headache can be an indicator that something is wrong, and the consistent use of painkillers to combat headaches is like switching off the forewarning light that signals a problem with your car.
Medication doesn’t cure your headache; it simply provides temporary relief from the symptoms.
Tension headaches and migraines are considered to be the most common types of headache, but people also experience headaches due to sinus infections (pressure around the eyes, cheeks and forehead) or physical exertion. A rebound headache, also referred to as medication overuse headache, is when you experience headaches due to frequent or excessive pain-relieving medication.
Headaches can be caused by a range of factors, including tension, bad posture, accidental injuries, medications, eating issues, or environmental factors such as powerful smells and pollution.
Probably the most overlooked cause for a migraine or stress headache is nerve irritation in the upper neck, usually as a result of improperly functioning spinal joints.
Physiotherapists refer to this as vertebral dysfunction, and it causes headaches because the nerves of the upper neck supply areas of the scalp and face.
At a2z Health Group, our physiotherapists first assess patients with a meticulous examination of probable headache triggers. We also take a detailed orthopaedic and neurological history to better understand possible causes for your chronic headaches. Finally, we may conduct a spinal evaluation to assess if this is a contributing factor. If our physiotherapists believe it’s necessary, we might also request from your doctor to refer for further investigations, if necessary, such as an x-ray or MRI scan.
After reaching a specific diagnosis, your physiotherapy care can begin. Physiotherapy can be an extremely efficient remedy for headaches. By precisely restoring proper motion to the spinal joints of the neck, your physiotherapist can considerably lessen nerve irritation and alleviate muscle tension, thus helping to minimise the cause of your headaches.
At a2z Health Group, our friendly team is extensively trained in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy, clinical Pilates, massage, bracing and more. We will personalise your treatment to cater for your specific condition. To arrange an initial assessment and consultation, don’t hesitate to book online now.
A Physiotherapy session involves our Physiotherapist taking you through a thorough professional physical assessment followed by a diagnosis of your specific problem. Physiotherapists help you understand what causes the problems and related injuries as part of our educational approach to integrating the treatment with your lifestyle. This is then followed by a variety of treatment techniques and exercises to assist your return to mobility and full function.
The average physiotherapy session varies from 20 – 30 minutes, with most patients receiving a structured series of exercise and stretches to do at home to complement their treatment in our physiotherapy clinic. All our treatments are one-on-one in private treatment rooms – we never see more than one patient at a time. You do not need a Doctor’s referral to see our Physiotherapists and health funds will pay a rebate for part of the cost of your physio consultation.
Our Physiotherapists use the latest hands-on techniques such as joint mobilisation, manipulation, stretching, taping, soft tissue techniques and dry needling to assist in pain management and injury recovery. We also focus on personalised exercise programs involving biomechanical analysis, specific muscle activation, strengthening and conditioning exercises, balance and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, postural correction, and core stability training to assist in the restoration of the physical function, injury rehabilitation and performance of the body.
Physiotherapists are experts in the prevention of all kinds of injury, particularly sports injuries. We work with health club practitioners and provide advice or complement training techniques in preventing injury. Our physiotherapists will discuss any important lifestyle factors such as training programs, sporting goals, workstation setups and postural correction to help prevent problems from recurring or better still, from happening in the first place. In many cases there is more than one cause of your pain, especially if it is a chronic or recurring problem.
Whether you have injured yourself while working out in the health club, doing normal activities at home, at work or on the sporting field, our Physiotherapists will help you recover in a speedy, complicated-free treatment to get you back to your normal activities. Physiotherapists focus on the assessment, maintenance and restoration of the physical function and performance of the body and minimise your chance of re-injury. Getting you back to your fitness regime quickly is what Physiotherapists aim for.
At your initial visit your physiotherapist will perform a thorough physical assessment enabling them to diagnose your condition. Once your condition has been diagnosed your physiotherapist will then explain it to you and specific treatment will be recommended and commenced to help solve your problem. This process is likely to take around 40 minutes.
A Doctor’s referral is welcome but not necessary if you are attending one of our clinics as a private patient. You do however require a referral from your Doctor if your problem is related to a motor vehicle accident, or if you are a Veterans’ Affairs patient.
You do not need a Doctor’s referral if your problem is related to a workplace injury. However, your first medical certificate will need to come from your Doctor.
If you are in a Private health Insurance Fund and are covered for Ancillary Cover or “extras’’ then you will be eligible to receive a rebate. Currently there is only limited funding for treatment of chronic conditions via Medicare.
At our clinics we use an electronic payments and claiming system called HICAP’s. This system allows you to automatically claim your rebate from your Health Fund immediately following your treatment. All you need is to present your Health Fund Card to one of our receptionists who instantly process your claim. Once this is completed all you are required to do is pay the ‘gap amount’ (the difference between the treatment fee and the rebate you received from the Health Fund). This can be paid with cash, cheque, credit card or EFTPOS.
There are some provisions for limited physiotherapy costs to be covered under Medicare. To qualify for this you must be suffering from a condition that has been present, or is likely to be present for at least 6 months and your GP must be currently using a personally managed EPC (Enhanced Primary Care) multidisciplinary plan. If you meet these two criteria then this may enable you to receive up to 5 Medicare funded treatments per year. To find out all necessary details ask your GP or contact us for more information.
1/82 Stud Road
Dandenong VIC 3175
128 Chandler Rd, Noble Park VIC 3174, Australia
