The physiotherapist, an untapped resource for headaches: a survey of university students

Abstract

Background: Physiotherapeutic interventions are beneficial in headache treatment. However, knowledge of the benefits of physiotherapy for headache appears to be lacking.

Aims: The main aim of this study was to investigate how many undergraduate students at a large university in Sweden are aware that they can turn to a physiotherapist for headache-related problems. A secondary aim was to map out the prevalence and frequency of headache, and investigate students’ level of stress and physical activity, and whether they seek help for their headache and, if so, from which profession. Further, possible correlations between headache frequency and self-perceived stress levels, as well as physical activity levels, were evaluated.

Method: A questionnaire was distributed to 270 students in a classroom setting.

Results: Of the respondents (99%), 26% answered that they knew they could turn to a physiotherapist for headache. Altogether 94% had suffered from headaches during the past year and 4% had sought help from a physiotherapist.

Conclusion: The study suggests that the physiotherapist is an untapped resource in headache treatment. Headache is very common in university students; yet of the surveyed students 74% were unaware that they could turn to a physiotherapist if they had headache-related problems.

Keywords:

• Migraine
• tension-type headache
• physiotherapy
• stress
• physical activity

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participating students and course co-ordinators of the included programmes. We would also like to thank Rebecca Vikingsson for translating this paper.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by FYS fonden.