What makes this treatment unique
Our specialized headache clinic has a special focus on the upper three cervical vertebrae (high cervical spine C0 (skull) through C3 (third cervical vertebra) and its direct anatomical relationship with the brain stem (lower part of the brain).
Recent research on Tension-type Headache, Migraine with and without aura and even Cluster Headache shows that an overstimulated (sensitized) brainstem is a possible cause and plays a role in the development of headaches and migraines.
The Watson Headache® Approach
Unfortunately for headache/migraine sufferers the medical model, despite not knowing what causes headache -migraine, ignores the role of neck disorders in headache-migraine. This is because the focus is on the brain as the source of headache-migraine. Fortunately though, to confirm disorders in the upper neck as the source of symptoms by reproducing and lessening of familiar head-pain, the Watson Headache® Approach not only confirms ( or rules out) a neck disorder, but also identifies exactly the spinal segment at fault. There is no guesswork !!
The Watson Headache® Approach is a method to examine the mobility of the three highest cervical vertebrae and determine if your neck is playing a role in your headache/migraine symptoms.
It uses gentle, constant manual techniques - high cervical (high neck) - to make the brainstem less irritable. This is known as desensitizing the brainstem. The goal of this treatment is to temporarily reproduce your specific headache and migraine symptoms and reduce them again within 20 seconds. In this way it can be demonstrated or ruled out that your headache and migraine symptoms are neck-related. Also, high cervical stability tests are done prior to treatment to rule out possible pathologies of the high neck. Safety first. No (!)manipulations (cracking) and techniques are used here that are highly stressful to the neck. Not only can the Watson Headache® Approach confirm a neck dysfunction as the cause of your headache or migraine, it can also identify the exact spinal segment(vertebral segment) causing your headache or migraine. It is not guesswork.This diagnostic accuracy increases the likelihood of a successful treatment outcome.
This is a crucial step during your initial consultation. Effective treatment can be started immediately.
Watch the explainer-video:
Read more about headache-consultant PollyAnne
PollyAnne recently obtained her Master of Headache Disorders in 2022 at the University of Copenhagen where she trained with a group of 24 selected global professionals (neurologists, pediatricians, physiotherapists and dentists). This created the opportunity to develop and improve her competencies in headache treatment, diagnosis and research.
Headache consultant PollyAnne van Rookhuijzen (registered master manual therapist, physical therapist and credential McKenzie therapist) has chosen, after 25 years of treating musculoskeletal conditions, to specialize in the area of headache and migraine conditions to provide even better patient care with personal attention.
She treats, as the first officially level 3 certified headache consultant in Europe from the Watson Headache® Institute, both headache, Tension-type Headache, migraine and cluster headache and all types of headaches where typical headaches of the patient in question can be reproduced from the neck, using the Watson Headache® Approach.
This specific treatment method was developed by Dr. Dean Watson, who has 22 years of experience in effectively treating headache and migraine symptoms.
PollyAnne van Rookhuijzen
MSc of Headache Disorders
Certified Watson Headache® Practitioner
Master Manual Therapy
Extended Scope Manual Therapist
The question that should be asked is “Why do people get headaches related to stress or menstrual cycle?”
Not every woman gets a migraine during menstrual cycle and not everyone gets stress related headaches. The answer lies in the brainstem. Recent research indicates that a sensitized nucleus underlies the emergence of headache and migraine
(D.Watson and P. Drummond, Cervical referral of head pain in migraineurs: effects on the nociceptive blinck reflex, Headache, 2014;54(6):1035-45).
Depending on the degree of sensitisation the brainstem will reproduce headache or migraine (less to more severe pain response). The headache and migraine patient his brainstem has become sensitive to changes from its environment from input from neck, blood vessels or serotonin levels.
A non migraine patient is able to cope with these changes in a normal way without causing headache/migraine. That is the difference.
The brainstem
The brainstem (the trigemino cervical nucleus) is the part in the brain that receives information from the neck, head, face, jaw and blood vessels in the brain, among others, and relays it to the cerebellum (the cortex).
If the brainstem is sensitized (overstimulated), then regular and "normal" information is inflated, so to speak. When this inflated information reaches the cortex, it is interpreted as danger and the cortex will produce pain. In this case, headaches or migraines. Think of the brainstem as a loudspeaker with the volume turned up too high. This nuisance creates a protective mechanism at the cortex and it sounds an alarm to the body and produces pain and, in this case, a headache.
In general, people often report that their migraines are related to the following triggers;
- Menstruation
- Stress
- Fatigue
- Posture (sitting at computer)
- Food (chocolate, red wine)
- Dehydration
Reproduced under license from Watson Headache® Institute. Copyright © Watson Headache Institute 2017.
"Information that is filtered just like an audio speaker with the volume turned up too high."
All the information that is filtered through the nucleus will be over exaggerated (just like an audio speaker with the volume turned up to high). As it reaches the cortex this information is interpreted by the cortex as danger, and it will then raise the alarm to the body and create pain and in this case head pain.
Want to read more about potential causes for sensitising the brainstem? Click read more below.
There are 4 potential causes for sensitising the brainstem:
- Abnormal information from structures of the head (serious conditions such as tumor or inflammation processes in the jaw or tooth) can bring up the volume of the audio speaker (brainstem)
- Abnormal information from structures of the upper cervical spine (such as ligaments, joints or disc of the C2,3 segment) also affects the volume of the audio speaker (brainstem).
- Inadequate serotonin levels in the blood(chemical that regulates the response to stress, food and hormones).
- An error in the supraspinal pain inhibitory system (DNIC). This also affects the volume in the audio speaker (brainstem). This systems works, for example, as you hit your thump with a hammer, making your headache less severe.
All of the 4 above mentioned information sources are normally filtered by the brainstem before they are transported to the cortex (they have a normal function and activity level and are symptom free).
How can the International Headache Clinic help you?
Unfortunately for headache/migraine sufferers the medical model, despite not knowing what causes headache -migraine, ignores the role of neck disorders in headache-migraine. This is because the focus is on the brain as the source of headache-migraine. Fortunately though, to confirm disorders in the upper neck as the source of symptoms by reproducing and lessening of familiar head pain, the Watson Headache® Approach not only confirms (or rules out) a neck disorder, but also identifies exactly the spinal segment at fault. There is no guesswork!
The Watson Headache® Approach is a method to examine the mobility of the three highest cervical vertebrae and determine if your neck is playing a role in your headache/migraine symptoms.
It uses gentle, constant manual techniques - high cervical (high neck) - to make the brainstem less irritable. This is known as desensitizing the brainstem. The goal of this treatment is to temporarily reproduce your specific headache and migraine symptoms and reduce them again within 20 seconds. In this way it can be demonstrated or ruled out that your headache and migraine symptoms are neck related. Also, high cervical stability tests are done prior to treatment to rule out possible pathologies of the high neck. Safety first.
No (!) manipulations (cracking) and techniques are used here that are highly stressful to the neck.
Not only can the Watson Headache® Approach confirm a neck dysfunction as the cause of your headache or migraine, it can also identify the exact spinal segment (vertebral segment) causing your headache or migraine. It is not guesswork. This diagnostic accuracy increases the likelihood of a successful treatment outcome.
This is a crucial step during your initial consultation. Effective treatment can be started immediately.