Headache

Case Description: The patient is a 31 y/o female with a history of migraines and frequent headaches.  Symptoms began ~4 wks prior to initiating therapy without an exact cause, with steady progression to the point where they were constant.  She was feeling difficulty concentrating at work and contemplating taking time off due to her HA severity.  After work she had been coming home and laying down the rest of the evening (only thing that could take the edge off).  

Objective Measures: The patient was seen for 5 physical therapy visits over a 1 month period (4 visits in a 2 wk period and 1 visit at a follow up after 1 month to insure changes were lasting)

Tests and Measures	Initial Evaluation	Day of Discharge from Physical Therapy
VAS for Pain	3-8/10	0/10
Neck Disability Index	40% disability	0% Impairment
Headache Impact Test	(69) Severe impact on daily life	(46) Very little impact on daily life
Functional Status	Considering time off work and minimal ability to perform normal daily task outside of work	Full work participant and no longer needing time in bed after work to recover/symptom modify

Patient Comments at Discharge: “I went from severe, almost daily headaches that kept me from anything to having almost no headaches at all and feeling more clear and awake than I have for years. The difference is amazing and I don’t have to schedule my life around headaches now!”

Sincerely,

Luke Vander Zouwen, DPT
Full Potential Physical Therapy