Why Headaches and Migraines Need More Than Painkillers

Painkillers manage a symptom. They don't change what's driving it. That's the gap physiotherapy fills.

A large number of headaches — particularly tension-type and cervicogenic headaches — are referred pain from the joints, muscles, and nerves of the upper neck. Poor postural habits (hello, hours at a desk or hunched over a phone), old whiplash or neck injuries, jaw clenching, and muscular tightness through the shoulders and upper back can all irritate these structures and refer pain into the head, temples, or behind the eyes. Migraines are more complex neurologically, but neck and jaw dysfunction is a well-recognised trigger and aggravating factor for many migraine sufferers, even when it isn't the sole cause.

The physiotherapy approach is to properly assess why your head is hurting — not just treat where it hurts — and build a plan around that.

Is It a Tension Headache, a Cervicogenic Headache, or a Migraine?

This is one of the most common questions we get, so here's the short version:

Tension-type headaches usually feel like a dull, band-like pressure around the whole head, often linked to muscle tightness through the neck, jaw, and shoulders.

Cervicogenic headaches typically start at the base of the skull or in the neck and spread to one side of the head or behind an eye. They're often worse with certain neck positions or movements, and they respond particularly well to hands-on physiotherapy because the problem is mechanical.

Migraines are a neurological condition, often one-sided, and can come with nausea, light and sound sensitivity, and visual disturbances (aura). Migraines aren't "cured" by physiotherapy, but neck and jaw treatment can meaningfully reduce frequency and intensity for many people, particularly when neck dysfunction is a contributing trigger.

If you're not sure which one you're dealing with, that's exactly what a proper assessment is for.

Meet the Physios Behind Our Headache & Jaw Relief Program

Headache, migraine, and jaw (TMJ) pain are closely linked, which is why we built a dedicated Headache & Jaw Relief Program at Revive West End around two physios who genuinely know this area well.

Steph Rea (that's me) — I'm a University of Queensland physiotherapy graduate with over 20 years in private practice, and a particular clinical interest in headache and migraine treatment, TMJ (jaw joint) dysfunction and pain, and neck and shoulder pathologies. My approach is hands-on — manual therapy and soft tissue techniques drawn from two decades of clinical experience — combined with a focus on empowering you to understand your own condition and get back to doing the things you love. Before Revive, I worked as a physiotherapist with English Super League teams, British Athletics, and Queensland Academy of Sport golfers, alongside a huge range of everyday clients managing acute and chronic pain. I treat headaches and migraines every week, and it's genuinely one of the conditions I find most rewarding to help people through — the change in someone's quality of life when their headaches finally ease is significant.

Lexi Brough — Lexi graduated with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy from the University of Queensland in 2013, with clinical experience across hospital, education, private, and community settings in Queensland, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia. She has a special interest in TMJ (jaw) pain, locking, and grinding, and in the headache and neck pain that so often comes with it. Lexi's approach is centred on client empowerment — reducing dependence on ongoing treatment and helping everyday people solve everyday problems so they can get back to what matters to them. She currently works as crew physiotherapist for Hamilton Island Race Week aboard Zoe (since 2022) and with A-League soccer referee Alireza Faghani to keep him game-ready — when she's not completing marathons herself (New York City, 2022) or juggling social netball, strength training, and mum life.

Between us, we bring a combined, complementary skill set to headache and migraine care — which means your treatment plan is built around what your specific presentation actually needs, not a one-size-fits-all protocol.

How We Treat Headache and Migraine at Revive West End

Every treatment plan starts with a thorough assessment of your neck, upper back, jaw, and posture, along with your headache or migraine history — triggers, frequency, duration, and what's already been tried. From there, treatment typically draws on:

• Manual therapy and joint mobilisation to restore movement in a stiff or restricted neck and upper back
• Soft tissue and myofascial release for tight, overactive muscles through the neck, shoulders, and jaw
• Dry needling, where appropriate, to release trigger points contributing to referred head pain
• TMJ (jaw) assessment and treatment, since jaw clenching and dysfunction is a frequently overlooked headache driver
• Postural and ergonomic correction, particularly for desk-based and screen-heavy lifestyles common in inner-city Brisbane
• A tailored home exercise and self-management plan, so the improvement holds between sessions and over the long term

We treat clients from West End and right across inner-city Brisbane — South Brisbane, Highgate Hill, New Farm, East Brisbane, and the CBD — many of whom come to us after other approaches haven't given them a lasting answer.