Melbourne Headache Centre: dedicated to headache and migraine treatment

Are you fed up with ineffective headache and migraine treatments?
Does it concern you that the people treating your migraines believe the cause of your symptoms is 'unknown'?
Are the medications you need to take to mask your pain causing long term side effects including more headaches?

The last two decades of research has identified a key source of irritation in headache and migraine - The trigemino-cervical complex in the brainstem. This is an area that receives all the input from the trigeminal nerve (head and face) and upper three cervical nerves before sending the signals to the sensory part of the cortex. We know that this area is constantly irritated in recurrent headache sufferers regardless of type (migraine, tension-type headache etc).
It is like a powder keg waiting for a spark.
This is why seemingly unrelated triggers - stress, hormones, sleep, missing meals can all cause problems. They interact with, and 'blow up' the powder keg.
The medical approach focuses on avoiding triggers, and using drugs to dampen the activity. Unfortunately many triggers are hard to avoid and many of the medications are ineffective for the majority and have side effects including more headaches! (Read about Medication Overuse Headache)

Only treatment aimed at lowering the activity of the trigemino-cervical complex can claim to be treating the underlying problem. That is exactly what the Watson Headache® Approach used at our centre does. The neck is the strongest source of irritation in the part of the brainstem. During your assessment we will determine if your neck is contributing to the irritation. Whilst many of you will have neck symptoms and know that it is part of the problem, 30% of the people we treat experience no neck symptoms at all.

Due to recent advances in the understanding of primary headache (including migraines and tension-type headache) we now have the ability to calm the 'headache centre' in the trigemino-cervical complex - in essence, making the powder keg less explosive. A thorough assessment will determine if you are in the 80% of suffers in whom the neck can be used to 'turn down' the volume of the headache centre.

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The Melbourne Headache Centre boasts some of Australia's most experienced headache practitioners providing effective, sustainable and natural treatment of headache and migraine disorders.

Using a technique known as the Watson Headache ® Approach, our consultants assess and treat a rarely diagnosed, and poorly understood fault in the top of the spine, and in doing so normalise the activity in the brainstem.

It doesn't matter whether you suffer from migraines, tension-type headaches, cluster headache, vestibular migraine or cyclic vomiting syndrome.

Regardless of whether you are triggered by diet, stress, alcohol, strong smells, bright lights or exercise, an irritation in the brainstem is underpinning your condition and we can show you how to take control of your condition in just two weeks.

This is the only hands on technique developed specifically for headache and migraine, and the only one with research supporting its ability to treat the underlying problem in primary headache - an overactive brainstem.

At the Melbourne Headache Centre our consultants only treat headache and migraines. This has allowed us to become highly proficient in the techniques we employ giving you the best chance of success.
Why trust your care to someone who treats low back and sports injuries most of their day?

During the initial assessment we can test if your neck is causing your headaches or migraines. In 80% of cases it is and we start treatment. We expect to see significant changes to your headache and migraine symptoms within 2 weeks. If you experience no significant improvement in your headache and migraine symptoms, we stop your treatment.

Call 8648 6487

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Choose the option that best describes you:

I know its my neck - I just need expert care to treat it properly.

I have tried neck treatment before and its failed - how is this different?

My neck doesn't hurt - Can this treatment still help me?

Independent research confirms 80% of sufferers have the neck as a source of their symptoms

According to the diagnostic guidelines governing current medical practice, you can't diagnose migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache unless all other known causes for the symptoms are excluded.

Using the 'Gold standard' anaesthetic blocks, researchers have demonstrated the neck is responsible for symptoms in 80% of migraine, tension-type headache and cluster headache.

Who is excluding your neck as a source? To be sure, you need someone with expertise to do this. Melbourne Headache Centre isn't claiming that chronic headache and migraine is simple, or that the neck is the only cause.

We're simply highlighting the fact that the nerves that cause headache and migraine (the trigeminal nerves) are in a state of constant stimulation. In 80% of cases the neck is responsible for this stimulation - it's like a powder keg. And when it's triggered or sparked by food, drink, smells light, sound or hormones, the headache and migraine episodes begin.

So it's a complex problem, but at its heart in a vast majority of cases is a small fault that is overlooked, misunderstood, poorly treated and capable of making major changes in your life.

Melbourne Headache Centre can complete your diagnosis. Find out if you have a treatable neck problem here.

Check your neck today.

Call now - 03 8648 6487

Online Assessment