Gentle physiotherapy treatment around the head

Headache Treatment in Düsseldorf Unterbilk

Professional physiotherapy for tension headaches – centrally located at Fürstenwall 146

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Around midday there is pressure behind the forehead, in the afternoon the pain sits in the temples and the back of the head: a headache that builds up over the course of a day at the screen often has something to do with the neck and jaw. Praxis Pirnay in Düsseldorf-Unterbilk, near the Medienhafen, examines both regions. Here you can read how sitting, seeing and clenching your teeth work together and what can be done about it.

Headache at the desk: looking at neck and jaw

Anyone who looks at a monitor with concentration pushes the head forward without noticing. The neck muscles then have to hold it up against gravity for hours, and the short muscles under the back of the head work without a break. At the same time, many people clench their teeth when concentrating. Both can send pain into the head: from the neck to the forehead, from the chewing muscle to the temple.

Medically, it is usually a tension-type headache or a headache that originates in the cervical spine. A disorder of the chewing system, CMD for short (craniomandibular dysfunction), can also cause headache. These forms are unpleasant, but not dangerous. Often little is felt in the morning and more in the evening. People who grind their teeth at night, by contrast, often wake up with pressure at the temples.

Which form of headache it is, is determined by a doctor; for jaw complaints, the dental practice is the first port of call. Physiotherapy works on what can be examined and changed: mobility of the cervical spine, strength of the postural muscles, tension of the chewing muscles and habits at the workplace. For this, we carry out our own assessment.

What comes together at the workplace

Forward head position

The farther the head sits in front of the trunk, the more holding work falls to the neck and upper back. A monitor that is too low or too far away encourages this.

Laptop and smartphone

Looking down at small screens bends the cervical spine over a long period. On a laptop, this can only be avoided with an external keyboard and a raised device.

Clenching teeth when concentrating

Under time pressure, the teeth are often pressed firmly together. The chewing muscles at the temple and cheek tire and can trigger a pressing temple headache.

Straining to see

Glare, small print or unsuitable glasses make you frown and stretch your head forward. This increases tension in the forehead and neck muscles.

Sitting without a break

It is not sitting in itself that is a burden, but staying put. Muscles that do the same holding work for a long time get a poorer blood supply and become more sensitive to pain.

How to recognize the connection

Over the course of the day

• Headache increases over the working day
• Dull pressure at the forehead or back of the head
• Clearly less on days off
• Shoulders hunched up, neck tight

Pointers to the jaw

• Pressure at the temples already on waking
• Tired or aching chewing muscles
• Clicking or grinding in the jaw joint
• Mouth is hard to open wide in the morning

Pointers to the neck

• Pain starts at the back of the head, usually on one side
• Looking over the shoulder is difficult
• Pressure on the neck muscles brings on the headache

Warning signs with headache: see a doctor first

Not every headache in the office comes from sitting. The following signs do not fit a harmless course. Where it says “emergency number 112”, every minute counts; please have the other points checked by a doctor promptly, if in doubt on the same day.

Emergency number 112: headache that hits like a bolt from the blue and is stronger than anything before.
Emergency number 112: headache together with weakness on one side of the body, disturbed sensation, slurred speech, loss of vision, clouding of consciousness or a seizure.
Emergency number 112: headache with fever and a stiff neck in which the chin can barely be brought to the chest.
Very red, painful eye with worsening vision or colored rings around light sources: go immediately to an emergency eye service.
Headache after a fall or a blow to the head, even days later; likewise new temple headache from age 50 with pain when chewing or visual disturbance.
A new, unfamiliar or steadily worsening headache, vomiting in the morning, being triggered by coughing or exertion, onset during pregnancy or with a tumor or an immune disorder.

Treatment of neck, jaw and postural muscles

The prescription from your doctor (Heilmittelverordnung) determines which therapy you receive. For headache from desk work, two things matter: relieving the neck and jaw, and building up the muscles so that they cope better with long days.

Manual therapy

We check where the cervical spine and its transition to the thoracic spine are stiff, and we mobilize these sections. If the assessment shows that the jaw is involved, we also treat the chewing muscles and the jaw joint.

Physiotherapy exercises on machines (Krankengymnastik am Gerät)

On training machines, you strengthen the shoulder girdle, upper back and neck under guidance with measured resistance. The aim is more strength endurance for the muscles that carry the head all day.

Exercise therapy

You learn exercises for in between: straightening up from the chest, activating the deep neck muscles, stretching chest and neck muscles. We also discuss how your monitor, chair and keyboard are set up.

Classical massage

Massage loosens the muscles between the shoulder blade and the back of the head, which do the most holding work when sitting. It often brings relief for the moment and makes the practice that follows easier.

How treatment works in Düsseldorf-Unterbilk

1
Assessment with a view to your workplace
We ask how you work: monitors, laptop, phone calls, breaks. Then we examine the cervical spine, shoulder girdle and jaw. More time is scheduled for this first appointment.
2
Relieving
First we treat the painful sections of the neck and jaw with our hands and show you initial loosening exercises that fit into a short break.
3
Building up
As your load capacity grows, strengthening moves to the foreground, on machines too depending on the prescription. You gradually take the exercises into your working week.
4
Final assessment
At the end, we check mobility and symptoms again and note which exercises you continue. A follow-up prescription is decided by your doctor’s office.

Workplace, breaks, jaw: what you can change yourself

Small changes, often repeated, count for more than expensive furniture. Try the points for a few days and observe what influences your headache.

Set up the monitor correctly

The top edge of the screen is roughly at eye level or just below, and the distance is about an arm’s length. Raise the laptop and connect a keyboard and mouse.

Short breaks, but often

Stand up briefly about every half hour. Pull your shoulders up to your ears, let them drop and turn your head slowly to the right and left.

Jaw at rest

Check several times a day: lips closed, teeth not touching, tongue resting loosely on the palate. At rest, the teeth do not touch. A small sticker dot on the edge of the screen reminds you.

Rest your eyes

Regularly look into the distance for a few breaths. Avoid reflections on the screen and have your eyesight checked if you often squint.

Getting to Praxis Pirnay at Fürstenwall

The practice is at Fürstenwall 146 in Düsseldorf-Unterbilk, about 1.5 kilometers from the Königsallee. The stops “Fürstenplatz” and “Kirchplatz” are nearby. If you come by car, take the B8 or the A46, exit Düsseldorf-Bilk. The practice has no parking lot of its own; parking spaces are available along Fürstenwall and in the side streets.

You can book appointments online via Doctolib, by phone or with the appointment form on this website. Remember your prescription and insurance card. Please also bring doctors’ letters and, if you have them, dental records or a bite splint (occlusal splint).

Come in clothing that you can move in; a T-shirt or top leaves the neck and shoulders free. We treat in German, English and Spanish. A photo of your workplace is useful, so that we can talk about how it is set up.

Opening hours: Mon 8:00–19:30, Tue–Wed 7:00–18:30, Thu 9:00–18:30, Fri 9:00–14:00

Questions from everyday office life

Can headache really come from the jaw?

Yes, that is possible. Overloaded chewing muscles, especially the temporal muscle, can radiate pain into the temple, forehead and ear region. A dental examination clarifies whether a splint makes sense. Physiotherapy treats the muscles and the joint and shows exercises that keep the jaw loose during the day.

Why does my headache usually start in the afternoon?

Because the load adds up over the day. Neck and chewing muscles do holding work for hours and become increasingly sensitive; added to this are skipped breaks and too little fluid. A headache that wakes you at night or begins in the morning with vomiting does not fit this picture and needs to be checked by a doctor.

Does a height-adjustable desk help?

It can help if you use it to switch positions. It is not about standing, but about changing position regularly. Anyone who stands for hours also loads the neck and back one-sidedly.

I take a headache tablet almost every day – is that a concern?

Yes, you should discuss that with a doctor. Painkillers on many days a month can themselves cause a permanent headache, known as medication-overuse headache. Do not stop anything on your own, but get advice.

How does it work with the prescription, co-payment and online appointment?

You first need a prescription for physiotherapy from a doctor; you then arrange the appointment via Doctolib, by phone or with the form. People with statutory health insurance pay the statutory co-payment if they are not exempt. If you have private health insurance, reimbursement depends on your contract. We bill all insurers, statutory and private.

Book Your Appointment

0211 - 55095744