Beat Back Pain

The thing about head and neck injuries is that sometimes there’s an obvious cause and effect (for example, moving a bookshelf still full of books equals injury); at other times, pain can strike when you’re doing something completely innocuous. Such incidents are often the result of years of wear and tear, says John Perrier, a physiotherapist at PhysioWorks in Brisbane and author of Back Pain: How to Get Rid of it Forever ($29.95; Hale & Iremonger). “It’s like a light bulb that you’re switching on and off, and on and off, every day. It doesn’t seem to be doing any harm, but you are slowly wearing the light bulb out. One day you hit the switch, and bang—it’s gone.” Head, neck and back problems can be tricky to diagnose, so we’ve put together a list of common aches and strains worth getting your head around.

1. Migraines

IF YOU HAVE pain—either throbbing or aggravated by movement—in your head or neck, along with light or noise sensitivity and nausea

DIAGNOSIS You’ve got a migraine, along with an estimated 2 million other Australian sufferers—1.5 million of whom are women.

TREATMENT Target the cause. Migraine triggers can vary widely from person to person, but key causes include foods—such as chocolate or aged cheeses—alcohol, stress, glare, too little or too much sleep, and menstruation. Try keeping a headache diary to discuss with your doctor, so that together you can determine the cause of your flare-ups and decide the best treatment option.

2. Facet-Joint Sprains

IF YOU HAVE a recurring nagging headache that tends to resonate from the back of your head

DIAGNOSIS You have a facet-joint sprain in your neck. The point at which the wings of each vertebrae meet is a facet joint. It can become sprained, worn out or swollen, causing your neck to feel stuck. The inflamed sprain can also strike nerves; if it happens to strike in the upper three vertebrae, it can cause headaches.

TREATMENT See your doctor. Many advise patients with recurring headaches to take painkillers, perhaps alter their diet or get their eyes tested for glasses, Perrier says. It’s also worth including a visit to your physio early on. “We notice the swelling around the joints of their neck, fix the neck and the headache goes as well.”

3. Disc Problems

IF YOU HAVE pain in the lower back and aching when you sit, get out of a chair or bend forwards

DIAGNOSIS You’ve got disc problems. Like most back pain, this is a wear-and-tear thing. During your 40s, you experience a peak of disc-related back pain, Perrier explains. This occurs because the outer layers of the disc (which are made from a fibrous substance arranged in layers like an onion skin) have slowly worn out over the years but the jelly bit inside the disc is still fluid enough to move and bulge, which can hurt.

TREATMENT Keep moving. Try walking or swimming, because discs—injured or not—like to be kept active. Concentrate on sitting with good posture and ensure your mattress is of decent quality to support your spine. See a physio for some hands-on work to ensure the vertebrae sit and move correctly and to balance the muscles around the spine. He or she might recommend strengthening exercises as well.