Frequently Asked Questions

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How Will Treatment Benefit Me?

What Types of Headache do Watson Headache Clinics Treat?

What is the Watson Headache Approach?

What Does Treatment Involve?

What Are The Chances of a Successful Outcome?

How Many Treatments Will I Need?

Can You Tell if My Neck is Causing My Headache or Migraine Without Examining My Neck?

My Migraine is Caused by Hormones. How Can It Be My Neck?

Will I Get a Headache or Migraine After Treatment?

Will My Neck be Manipulated or 'Cracked'?

Why Should My Neck Be Examined Again?

My Doctor Says it is Not My Neck so Why Should I Have My Neck Examined?

Are There Any Tests I Need to Have Done Before Attending?

Do I Need a Doctor's Referral?

How will treatment benefit me?

The Watson Headache Approach will benefit you because ...

... it takes the guesswork out of whether your neck is the cause of your headache-migraine; there is no ‘well we’ll try some treatment and see if it is appropriate.’ In our experience there is no need to explain or convince you - it will be obvious and is a 'breakthrough' moment - at last after numerous, fruitless (and expensive and perhaps invasive) tests, the source of your headache or migraine is confirmed (or affirmed your suspicions);

... it takes the guesswork out of which spinal segment/s are the source of your headache or migraine pain; knowing this increases the chances of a successful outcome significantly because treatment can be directed at the appropriate segment/s. This diagnostic accuracy is unparalleled in manual therapy approaches to the headache and migraine condition.

If this is done, non pharmacological, non invasive; relatively inexpensive (what does medication and / or medical tests / consultations / hospital visits cost a year? ... and I won’t go into the personal costs!) treatment can be recommended with confidence, resulting in:

• being able to plan your life with confidence;

• no more medication or at least significantly reduced medication;

• no more expensive (and perhaps invasive or radioactive) medical tests

If the initial examination does not confirm relevant neck involvement in your headache or migraine, then treatment cannot be justified.

This is our responsibility to you and we take it seriously.

What types of headache do Watson Headache Clinics treat?

This is a great question!

The most recent research suggests that instead of the numerous headache or migraine types being totally different ailments with different (and unknown causes) they are just different expressions of the same or similar disorder.

For example, let's compare the headache and migraine condition to rheumatoid arthritis.  Rheumatoid arthritis is one condition with one cause and one diagnosis but some people are severely affected - crippled by it - which in headache terms would equal a Migraine - a very, very severe headache with nausea and vomiting, whilst others diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis are just a bit achey with some slight swelling around a couple of joints which would be equivalent to in headache terms -  a Tension-type Headache.

Recent research however, has shown that both Tension Headache and Migraine share a common disorder and that is a sensitised brainstem (i.e. the top part of the spinal cord - where the brain meets the spinal cord). The brainstem is very important in headache and migraine because all information in relation to the headache and migraine condition has to pass through the brainstem on the way to the cortex which is where headache or migraine symptoms are generated.

The key to effective treatment of headache-migraine then is not to treat the sensitisation (which is what the ‘Triptans’ do - Imigran, naratriptan, zolmatriptan, zomig etc) but to identify the reason for the sensitisation ... and treat the reason ... and neck disorders are one of four possible causes and in our experience the most likely. We can confirm or rule out neck disorders as the reason for the sensitisation - and usually in the initial consultation.

Furthermore, research has shown that the brainstem is sensitised in Menstrual Migraine, Cluster Headache, Cervicogenic (neck-related) Headache ... and ongoing research is likely to reveal this disorder in other headache and migraine forms.

So, what types of headache do we treat?  Any headache or migraine ... provided we can temporarily reproduce usual head pain and/or symptoms and they ease as the technique is sustained - irrespective of the diagnosis. We am not influenced by a diagnosis.  After-all a diagnosis is just based on a set of signs and symptoms; it does not tell us what is causing the sensitisation of the brainstem (the disorder common to different headache and migraine syndromes).

Then Watson Headache Approach can confirm (or rule out) if your neck is causing the sensitisation of the brainstem at the first consultation.

What is the Watson Headache Approach?

The Watson Headache Approach...

Dean Watson developed The Watson Headache Approach (as it has become known) over the past 22 years. The approach has evolved from his experience of over 21000 hours with 7000 clients affected by various headache or migraine syndromes.

If headache or migraine is coming from a spinal disorder, the disorder will involve one or more of the top three spinal segments. The fundamental and most powerful feature of the Watson Headache Approach is the method of examining the movements of the top three spinal segments. Relevancy of a disorder (and it is usually stiffness or loss of function) involving the top three segments is confirmed when gently stressing or moving these segments reproduces usual head pain and/or symptoms and that the reproduced pain/ symptoms ease as the technique is sustained. 

This feature (reproduction and lessening of headache) has recently been shown to desensitise the brainstem, which is the fundamental disorder in the migraine process. This is how the ‘Triptans’ (the heavy duty anti migraine medication) aborts a migraine attack - they desensitise the brainstem.

Secondly the techniques, if used in a systematic way, can identify which of the segments is at fault. This diagnostic accuracy is unparalleled in manual therapy approaches to the upper cervical spine in headache conditions, and significantly improves the chances of a successful outcome because treatment can be directed at the appropriate segments.

Finally these same techniques are used as treatment to restore function to the involved segments. The Watson Headache Approach does not involve any cracking techniques. The techniques gently stress the appropriate spinal segments in a smooth, sustained, persuasive manner, and can be ceased immediately if required; if you are uncomfortable, intuitively or otherwise, we will stop the technique - You are the Boss!

There you have it - the Watson Headache Approach; confirming and treating relevant upper neck disorders in headache and migraine condition is not complicated ... and there is no guesswork!

What does the treatment involve?

The Key is Reproduction and Resolution of your usual head pain and/or associated symptoms

During the initial consultation the behaviour of the area of your head pain will be recorded along with other features of your headache or migraine.  For example, frequency, severity, response to medication, and what triggers your headache or migraine.  From this we are able to determine how likely your headache or migraine is coming from your neck and also what features we are going to use to measure the effect of treatment.  This is very important because we need to know as early as possible whether the treatment is improving your headache or migraine.

However what is fundamental to the Watson Headache Approach is the reproduction and resolution (as the technique is sustained) of usual head pain when examining movements of the upper neck.

This is a crucial step as it takes the guesswork out of whether treatment can be recommended and involves placing a thumb over one vertebra and moving it in relation to either your head (skull) or the adjacent vertebra.  

Now there are two things to mention here - the pressure is in the direction that the vertebra is designed to move (and hence an intimate knowledge of the anatomy and how the joints move is required) and secondly that this movement is done slowly, smoothly in a kind of ‘persuasive‘ manner.  As the technique is held at the point that stiffness is felt, and if this stiffness or loss of movement is related to your headache or migraine, pain will be referred into the usual area that of your headache or migraine pain.  If the technique is being applied correctly the referred head pain gradually lessens over a period of time - typically within 60 seconds.

Now, we know that the thought of having your head pain reproduced is not particularly attractive but it goes immediately, if not, within a couple of seconds once the thumb pressure is released.  This has been demonstrated on countless occasions in front of health-care practitioners who have attended my seminars and members of the medical profession (and in over 7000 patients!).   

Very occasionally there are circumstances in which head pain can be referred and it not be as result of your neck. However if the head pain lessens as the technique is sustained it provides us with the strongest indication that it is abnormal information from this spinal segment which is causing your headache or migraine - in fact clinical experience demonstrates that lessening head pain confirms the neck disorder as the source of headache-migraine. This has been demonstrated recently by my groundbreaking PhD research confirming that the reproduction and lessening phenomenon desensitises the brainstem - the fundamental disorder in the headache and migraine condition.

Treatment, if indicated, comprises repeating what I have just mentioned, i.e. reproducing and lessening of usual head pain with the aim that with each hold the head pain becomes more difficult to reproduce or less intense and it eases more and more quickly with each hold. Hopefully within 3-5 sessions reproduction of head pain is either not possible or is significantly less. If this is achieved then it is likely that you will notice improvement in your headache or migraine. To maintain the effects of treatment attention to sitting posture is usually required along with one or two other strategies.