Level I Course in Warwick
April 27, 2009 by dean · Leave a Comment
Level I Course Presentation to a Physiotherapy Group who work together.
Presenting a Level I course to Physiotherapists from the same hospital department provided the opportunity for ongoing learning and in-servicing as participants can collaborate after the course to further develop knowledge and skills gained. With the space and resources in such a facility, participants can interact and support one another’s learning much more effectively.
Each participant was provided with a life-sized articulated model of the upper cervical (neck) spine. Participants worked in groups of 3 to promote discussion and comparison of palpation findings. Transferring this knowledge to the clinical setting practitioners have an effective and sequenced approach to support headache and migraine sufferers.
Cheers
Dean
© 2009 & Beyond. Watson Headache Institute, All Rights Reserved.
Level II Course in Stockport
April 23, 2009 by dean · Leave a Comment
Explaining how to determine which spinal segment is causing headache or migraine.
Welcoming back this interactive group of course participants to a Level II course in Stockport provided a further opportunity to expand on and discuss examination and treatment techniques; the progression of techniques; frequency of sessions and home strategies/exercises to support headache and migraine sufferers.
Cheers
Dean
© 2009 & Beyond. Watson Headache Institute, All Rights Reserved.
Level II Course in Cambridge
April 21, 2009 by dean · Leave a Comment
Level II Professional Development Course Cambridge - Explaining Sensitisation of the Brainstem
It is always exciting to welcome Practitioners to a Level II course after six months of applying the knowledge and skill gained in a Level I course. The Level II course provides advanced training using the ‘Watson Headache Approach’ with emphasis on determining if cervicogenic (neck) dysfunction can be the cause of headache and migraine.
Cheers
Dean
© 2009 & Beyond. Watson Headache Institute, All Rights Reserved.
Level I Course in Cambridge
April 19, 2009 by dean · Leave a Comment
Teaching Level I Professional Development Course Cambridge
Welcome to my Journey in Headache and Migraine
April 6, 2009 by dean · Leave a Comment
Welcome to my journey.
My journey started in 1987 when I commenced a Masters research program at the University of South Australia. The results of this research were published in the international headache journal, Cephalalgia, and have influenced the management of cervicogenic (neck-related) headache sufferers.
In 1991, I established The Headache Clinic in Adelaide, South Australia, which became recognised nationally and internationally. Since then I have treated headache and migraine sufferers exclusively. I have now examined the necks of over 7000 headache and migraine sufferers and completed in excess of 28000 treatments. Now traditional medicine does not consider disorders of the neck to be involved in the headache and migraine process, but my clinical experience suggests very strongly that they do!
During this time my fundamental purpose has been and is to determine whether or not a neck disorder is the cause of or a significant contributing factor to headache or migraine – I believe that every headache sufferer has the right to know their headache diagnosis as precisely as possible, to know the nature of their headache disorder, its outcome and possible types of treatment.
Whilst my emphasis is on the neck as a source of headache, this does not blind me to the possibility of other factors as the cause of headache – I recognise that not all headache comes from disorders of the neck and that headache may have more than one cause. However given that the cause of migraine and other forms of headache are unknown it seems logical and reasonable that a skilled examination of your neck occurs after an assessment by your GP or Neurologist (and generally all the tests are negative) and before medication is prescribed – this may prevent a lifetime tied to medication, a lifetime of checking whether you have your headache or migraine medication in your handbag before you leave the house!
Current research shows that migraine is not a problem with the blood vessels and that tension headache is not caused by increased tension in the muscles of the scalp and forehead! More of that next time ….
Until then,
Dean
Dean Watson
Consultant Headache and Migraine Physiotherapist; Adjunct Lecturer, Masters Program, School of Physiotherapy, University of South Australia; PhD Candidate, Murdoch University, Western Australia
(Bakal DA, Kaganov JA. Muscle Contraction and Migraine Headache: Psychophysiologic Comparison. Headache 1977;17(5):208215
Tegeler CH, Davidai G, Gengo FM, Knappertz VA,Troost BT, Gabriel H, Davis RL. Middle cerebral artery velocity correlates with nitroglcerin-induced headache onset. J Neuroimaging 1996; 6(2): 81-6
Thomsen LL, Iverson HK, Olesen J. Cerebral bloodflow velocities are reduced during attacks of unilateral migraine without aura. Cephalalgia 1995; 15(2): 109-116
Thomsen LL. Investigations into the role of nitric oxide and the large intracranial arteries in migraine headache. Cephalalgia 1997; 17:873-95)
© 2009 & Beyond. Watson Headache Institute, All Rights Reserved.