Head and Facial Pain Treatment
Find Relief and Get Back to Your Life
Head and facial pain shows up in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it’s a headache. Sometimes it’s tightness in your jaw, soreness across your shoulders, or a dizzy feeling that won’t quite go away. Whatever it looks like for you, our team is here to help you find relief and get back to your life.
What Are the Symptoms of Head and Facial Pain?
If you’re dealing with head or facial pain, you may notice:
- ✓Headaches
- ✓Pain at the base of the skull
- ✓Pain behind or above the eyes
- ✓Pain or clicking in the jaw
- ✓Discomfort when eating, yawning, or smiling
- ✓Tightness in the head, neck, or face
- ✓Soreness on top of the shoulders or between the shoulder blades
- ✓Sensitivity to light
- ✓Dizziness or balance trouble
These symptoms can wear on your daily life, whether you’re at work, at home, or just trying to get through the day. You don’t have to manage them alone.
What Causes Head and Facial Pain?
Head and facial pain can come from a number of places, including:
- ✓Poor posture
- ✓Stress
- ✓Repetitive overhead activities
- ✓Trauma, including concussion
- ✓Decreased strength
- ✓TMJ (temporomandibular joint) dysfunction
- ✓Vestibular (balance) system dysfunction
Our therapists take the time to understand your specific pain and what’s driving it, so your treatment actually fits your body and your life.
How Is Head and Facial Pain Diagnosed?
If you’ve already tried a few things to find relief without much luck, we get it. That’s why we start by listening. Our team wants to hear your full story, including your medical history and what you’ve already tried, before we map out next steps.
From there, you can expect:
- ✓A conversation with an experienced physical therapist
- ✓Clinical testing, with referrals to other specialists when needed (which may include exams, lab tests, a CT scan, or an MRI)
- ✓An honest discussion about what might be causing your pain
Our Approach to Treating Head and Facial Pain
At Big Stone Therapies, we treat the whole person, not just the symptom. When it comes to head, jaw, and neck pain, that often means looking beyond the head itself. Dysfunction in the jaw, neck, mid-back, or shoulders can all contribute to the pain you’re feeling, so our therapists evaluate the full picture, including balance and cognitive screening when appropriate.
We also pay close attention to conditions like TMJ dysfunction, vestibular (balance) issues, and post-concussion symptoms, which sometimes call for a team approach across PT, OT, and SLP, or a referral to another specialist.
Your treatment plan may include:
- ✓Gentle exercises to stretch and strengthen the neck and postural muscles
- ✓Manual therapy, including joint and soft tissue mobilization and myofascial release
- ✓Activity reintegration to help you get back to what you love doing
- ✓Education on posture and stress management
- ✓Dry needling with electrical stimulation, when appropriate
- ✓Postural taping
- ✓Jones strain counterstrain technique to ease muscle tension
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Many headaches are connected to posture, muscle tension, or dysfunction in the neck and jaw. Physical therapy can address the underlying cause, not just the symptom.
TMJ dysfunction affects the jaw joint and can cause pain, clicking, or difficulty chewing. Our therapists treat TMJ issues as part of a full-body approach to head and facial pain.
It can be. Dizziness and balance trouble are sometimes linked to the vestibular system, which our therapists can evaluate as part of your treatment.
Contact Us to Get Started
If you’re dealing with head or facial pain, or any of the symptoms above, we’re here to help. Contact us to get started and let our team build a plan that’s right for you.
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