Let me start by welcoming you to the blog section of THP. I have created these to provide some written information / guidance / and to be a resource, for persons interested in learning more about headache.
I am a registered Physiotherapist in Toronto, Canada. My practice focuses on those with neck and head concerns. I am also a trained yoga instructor, so I can 'talk the talk' with regards to yoga, understanding both how yoga poses feel, and what is going on anatomically during the transition to and holding of, said poses. I combine this knowledge as a PT, and yoga trained individual, with my neck and headache practice focus, to provide the following information. None of the information below should be construed as a prescription to you, but rather my educated opinions. So, with that said!...
Yoga is a wonderful art and practice, for the mind and body. It is something that I often practice. It provides me with clarity of thought, and serves as a reminder of the mindful practice of moving.
When I examine the numerous poses in yoga, they commonly involve 1 particular area of the body:
The Thoracic Spine- fascinating!
The thoracic spine, is of direct relevance to the neck, which, if you have done some reading on this site, know is relevant to the phenomenon of headache, for many individuals. So there is a connection here, a relationship, that may be relevant to you. Performing yoga often / the health of your neck / and potentially, your headache presentation, may be interfacing here.
Now depending on your particular headache presentation, chronic / acute, joint related at the neck, or more muscular stemming from the shoulder blade region, yoga can have different effects. Worsen the antecedents to symptom provocation, have no effect, or ameliorate.
Perhaps you can relate??
Check out these scenarios that I have documented in my clinical practice:
1. Regular yoga improving headache
2. Regular yoga having no effect on headache
3. Regular yoga persisting headache
Ah, the classic 'it depends' answer! Yes, but perhaps I can help you, by explaining the 'how' that is at play...
1. Regular yoga improving headache.
Circulation improves with regular yoga / stretching practice. Yes, to a certain extent, depending on your baseline level of activity / exercise, yoga may be creating an environment of better circulation, leading to less compressed joints / muscles of the thorax and neck and head.
Does this regular yoga practice displace time when you would normally be sitting down? (sitting is harder on the joints of our neck than standing and moving). Does the regular yoga practice make you 'feel better' so that you have a healthier diet, more mindful movements, calmer nervous system, better stress management, provide a necessary mini-break from your work postures? As you can see, there are sequelae of practicing yoga regularly (not necessarily specific to yoga) that may be benefiting you.
Now, is regular yoga actually decompressing neck joints and thorax joints and alleviating tension in the local musculature? Well, it will certainly depend on the style of yoga that you are performing, HOW YOU are performing it, and what the particular vinyasa or sequence of movements is. It may be.
2. Regular yoga having no effect on headache.
Given all of the above, what if yoga is not having an effect on your headache? The majority of clients that I have examined and treated, in my opinion, need exacting manual therapy, to release certain neck joints. Without it, yoga will have no effect, or as described in the next section, often make the situation worse, or persist the cycle of headache (overlaying weight bearing movements on tight joints is a recipe for headache often). So if there is no effect of regular yoga on your headache patterns, don't despair. It may indicated that you will benefit from a good physical therapy examination of the neck.
3. Regular yoga persisting headache.
Regular yoga can persist, or make headache patterns worse, provoking flares of headache, as weight bearing postures frequently found in yoga (plank, downward dog, chaturanga, upward dog, cobra, crow, plough - to give common examples), will simply drive more noxious afferent nerve input to the brainstem, which is overly sensitive in the chronic headache patient (Watson et al, 2012). So this is an indication at least, that the neck is likely implicated in the headache presentation, and that a good cervical spine examination is warranted in your future.
Now go forth and move mindfully, be good to your body, and get a good neck exam if you are ready for this exploration.
Peace,
Keith
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