Headaches, a pain in the neck

The University of Queensland is seeking volunteers to help improve the diagnosis and treatments of headaches in the elderly.

Lead researcher and physiotherapy PhD student Jinny Uthaikhup said she was seeking healthy volunteers aged between 60 and 75 who suffered from regular headaches at least one a month in the past year or longer.

Ms Uthaikhup said participants would only be needed for one three-hour visit to UQ’s Neck Pain Research Unit at St Lucia where a physiotherapist would conduct physical tests of the joints and muscles in their necks.

She is studying if and how the neck contributes to headaches.

“Regular headaches are commonly suffered by otherwise healthy people over the age of 60 years and they can have many causes,” Ms Uthaikhup said.

“We would like to now what’s going on in the muscles and joints of the neck of older people so we can develop better management for older people with headaches if the cause is in the neck.”

The Neck Pain Research Unit is part of UQ’s Division of Physiotherapy in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Ms Uthaikhup is being supervised by UQ physiotherapy experts Professor Gwendolen Jull and Dr Michele Sterling.

To volunteer, call Ms Uthaikhup on 3365 4568.

MEDIA: Jinny Uthaikhup (3365 4568, s.uthaikhup@shrs.uq.edu.au) or Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (3365 2619)