About Us
Welcome to the Headache and Neck Pain Clinic. We take pride in providing evidence-based professional, friendly, and supportive healthcare. We use chiropractic, naturopathic, nutritional medicine, and myotherapy to provide natural, individualised care.
Headaches, migraines and neck pain affect your health and quality of life. These can involve your musculoskeletal, nervous, immune, gastrointestinal (digestive), and endocrine (hormone) systems. They need an integrated approach for successful, long-lasting management. This is why many other treatments fail.
Research supports the multi-modal treatment and management of these conditions. We use combinations of:
+ Manual therapy
+ Rehabilitation
+ Exercise prescriptions
+ Nutritional medicine
+ Diet
+ Herbal medicine
+ Occupational interventions
+ Lifestyle strategies
+ Psychological approaches
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment. We look forward to assisting you on your journey to better health.
Dr Gerard Keown
“My passion is combining effective, evidence-based healthcare to help people achieve better health.”
Dr Gerard Keown established The Headache and Neck Pain Clinic to integrate scientific elements of Chiropractic, Naturopathy, Nutritional Medicine and Myotherapy. This multi-disciplinary approach to diagnosis, treatment, and management is unique. The Clinic focuses on headaches, migraines, and neck pain, and related problems such as dizziness and vertigo, and TMJ pain. It also includes associated problems related sleep, digestive and endocrine disorders.
Dr Keown began his career in health as a personal trainer and remedial massage therapist. His curiosity and desire for knowledge led to the completion of a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy, followed by a Masters Degree of Chiropractic. He has since combined clinical work with education. Over the years he has lectured Myotherapy, and Anatomy and Physiology at university. He has had neck pain research published in the peer-reviewed, indexed literature. This led to an invitation to peer-review research submitted to leading journals for publication. These experiences expanded to writing advanced assessment modules for professional associations (including Chiropractic Australia, the Royal College of Chiropractors in the UK, and the European Chiropractors Union).
“As a lecturer I had to make complex science understandable. Education empowers people with an understanding of their health, and how to manage their condition.”
Involving people in their treatment and recovery leads to better results. This approach has helped professional athletes, actors, musicians, and comedians. All had to achieve peak performance and needed effective solutions.
“My approach to treatment is unique. I combine my experience as a personal trainer, remedial massage therapist, naturopath, clinical nutritionist and chiropractor to achieve the best possible results. It’s like consulting five different practitioners at the same time.”
The Headache and Neck Pain Clinic uses a unique, multi-modality approach. We target our treatments specifically for you, so that you can achieve your goals.
Conditions We Treat
Headaches
Headaches can impact your health and quality of life. They can reduce work performance, and interfere with family, social and personal relationships. They are very common, and are the second most prevalent disorder affecting women. There are more than 200 different types of headaches. They manifest in many different ways, with different signs and symptoms. It is also common for two different headaches to co-exist at the same time. Fortunately, most headaches are not caused by sinister pathology, which is rare. A skilled clinician can accurately diagnose different headaches, especially when they co-exist. Accurate diagnosis is important because different headaches require different treatments. What works for one type of headache will not work for another, or may make it worse.
Migraines
Migraines are very complex inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system. They are not just simply another type of headache. Headaches are just one of many signs and symptoms that can affect those who suffer migraines.
- They are the 2nd most common neurological disorder in the world
- 83% of people who suffer migraines also suffer tension-type headaches
- 75% of people who suffer migraines are women, usually of child-bearing age
- Hormones play a significant role in migraines
- 80% experience low back pain, higher than the general population
- 86% experience neck pain, tight muscles and stiff neck joints
- More than 78% experience jaw (TMJ) pain, which increases to 91% with chronic migraine
- 50% experience insomnia or poor sleep quality
- 84% suffer sinus pressure, 82% sinus pain, 63% nasal congestion, and 47% a runny nose (rhinorrhoea)
Dizziness/Vertigo
Dizziness and vertigo are amongst the most common symptoms, affecting up to 30% of people. The terms are often used interchangeably, but they have very different causes and symptom patterns, and treatments. Dizziness and vertigo involve different nerves and parts of your brain.
Neck Pain
Your neck is the most mobile part of your spine. It moves and stabilises your head to see, hear, smell, eat and drink, and communicate speech and emotion. Your neck has the 2nd highest number of sensory nerves that control posture and balance. This is “proprioception”. This is your brain’s perception of position and movement of your body parts.
Neck pain is the 4th most disabling condition in the world, and the most common chronic disorder. It affects 50% more women than men. Two-thirds of people will experience neck pain during their lifetime. It affects 2.5 million Australians every year.
Jaw Pain
The jaw is a very active part of your body, always moving throughout the day as you eat and speak. Your jaw (mandible) connects to your temple bones. This is where the name of the joints comes from: the temporomandibular joints, or TMJs. These are the most complex joints in your body. Problems can occur in these joints, the muscles around them, of a combination of both. These problems are temporomandibular disorders, or TMD. TMDs are the 2nd most prevalent chronic pain condition in the world, 2nd only to low back pain, and the most common orofacial disorder affecting the mouth, jaw, and face. Prevalence among women is about 10%, compared to 3% in men. It typically occurs between 18–44 years of age. It is associated with:
- Clenching and grinding the teeth (bruxism)
- Malocclusion of your teeth
- Stress
- Depression
- Migraines
- Tension-type headaches (TTH)
- Whiplash
- Hypersensitivity to pain
- Increased prevalence and severity of spinal pain (especially neck pain and dysfunction)
TMD affects more than 20% of those who have suffered whiplash. There is a 10-fold increased risk of TMD with migraine, and a 3-fold increased risk with TTH.
Your First Visit
If this is your first time visiting The Headache and Neck Pain Clinic then our step by step guide will help you to get the most benefit from your first visit.
- When you make your first appointment you will receive a confirmation email containing important details, including a link to a New Patient Form that you can complete online. This provides us with important information for your diagnosis and treatment. This link is secure and uses encryption. Please allow about 15 minutes to complete the form. If you do not receive this email in a short time please check your spam folder.
- Complete the New Patient Form This provides us with important information for diagnosis and treatment. For your convenience, and to save time, the Form can be completed and submitted online on your device. You can also download and print a hardcopy for completion by hand. Return the completed form by email info@headacheneckpainclinic.com.au. or bring it with you to your 1st appointment. Otherwise, arrive 15 minutes before your appointment and our staff will provide you with a paper form for you to complete.
- Bring scans, x-rays or MRIs, and any test results, such as blood tests to your fist appointment.
- Wear clothes that allow you to move freely, such as gym wear or similar clothing.
- HICAPS and EFTPOS are available for immediate on-the-spot health fund claims and electronic payments.
- We value your time and do our best to be punctual. We ask that you arrive on time so that you can receive enough time for your consultation. We also realise that your plans can change and it may be necessary to reschedule an appointment. We ask that you give us as much notice as possible, preferably at least 48 hours notice. This enables us to make the appointment available for someone else who is in need of treatment. Otherwise the full appointment fee may be charged for a missed appointment.
- Allow 40 minutes for your first consultation. This includes a detailed health history, physical exam, functional assessments, orthopaedic or neurologic tests. These tests require unrestricted movements. This is why gym wear is recommended. Some tests may require access to the skin on your arms or legs.
- If necessary, you may be referred for imaging such as x-rays or MRI, or for other tests such as blood tests.
- Once your history, physical exam and necessary tests are complete you will be given a diagnosis. Different treatment options will be discussed with you, and the likely prognosis. Throughout this process you are encouraged to ask questions. Once you have decided on a treatment approach we will begin treatment.
- At the end of treatment certain tests will be repeated. This will determine your response to treatment. You will be shown specific exercises to help your recovery, and to reduce the likelihood of relapses. You will also receive specific dietary, lifestyle or occupational strategies. You may also be prescribed nutritional or herbal medicines specific to your circumstances.
- It is likely that you will require a follow-up appointment. It is rare for a disorder to completely resolve with one treatment, especially chronic disorders. This will provide important information about how you have responded to treatment. It also helps identify any difficulties you may be experiencing with exercises and strategies. As your condition improves you will graduate to more advanced exercises and strategies. This is important for reducing the frequency, severity and duration of relapses. We aim to make you as self-sufficient as possible and not reliant upon treatments. Follow-up consultations are only recommended when necessary. Allow 20 minutes for follow-up appointments. Our receptionists will be able to make an appointment for you.
- Our professional relationship with you continues after you leave our clinic. You are encouraged to continue to ask any questions or raise any concerns at any time by calling, messaging or emailing our clinic. This is all part of our service to you.
Contact Us
Opening Hours
Send a Message
Getting here...
By Car
There are 2-hour metered street parking spaces in Queen Street, and adjacent streets, as well as a Wilson carpark 50 metres from the clinic at 200 Queen Street.
by Tram
Tram routes 86 and 96 stop on Bourke Street at the corner of Queen Street (stop #4), just 80 metres from the clinic.
by Bus
Bus routes 200, 207, 216, 220, 234, 236, 250, 251, 303, 309, 350, and 605 stop on Queen Street near the corner of Little Bourke Street, within metres of the clinic.