Gold Coast Headache Clinic
Treatment for migraines, tension, and chronic headache pain
Do you experience ongoing headaches or migraines?
At Balance Physio’s Gold Coast Headache Clinic, we specialise in helping people who experience ongoing headaches or migraines that haven’t responded to traditional treatment. Our Headache Clinic on the Gold Coast combines expert Physiotherapy assessment with targeted hands-on techniques to identify and treat the underlying cause of your head pain.
Led by our experienced Physiotherapists at Balance Physio in Mermaid Beach, the clinic was developed to support patients who have “tried everything” without lasting relief. We focus on evidence-based, personalised care that goes beyond symptom management. We aim to help you understand why your headaches occur and how to take back control.
Whether you’re dealing with tension headaches, migraines, or neck-related head pain, our team provides structured assessment, treatment, and education to support safe, long-term improvement.
Why choose Balance Physio for your headache treatment?
At Balance Physio’s Gold Coast Headache Clinic, we specialise in the assessment and treatment of chronic and recurring headaches using an evidence-based, hands-on approach. Our clinic is part of the national network of practitioners trained by the Watson Headache® Institute, an internationally recognised leader in headache and migraine research and education.
Our Physiotherapists have completed formal training in the Watson Headache® Approach, a method developed by Australian Physiotherapist Dean Watson. This assessment and treatment model focuses on the role of the upper cervical spine (the top of the neck) in headache and migraine conditions. By carefully examining how this region interacts with the brainstem (a known driver of many headache types) we can identify whether your neck may be contributing to your symptoms.
What sets us apart is our commitment to understanding the why behind your headaches. We take the time to listen, assess, and design an individualised plan that considers your history, triggers, and lifestyle. Every session is one-on-one, ensuring focused, specific care that’s guided by current research and clinical reasoning.
Get relief today
Meet our Headache Clinic therapist
Rooma Bai
Senior Physiotherapist
At Balance Physio’s Gold Coast Headache Clinic, you’ll be supported by Rooma Bai, a qualified Physiotherapist with a special interest in the assessment and treatment of chronic headaches and migraines.
Rooma is a Watson Headache® Institute Level 1 Foundation Course Attendee. The Watson Headache Approach is a world-recognised method developed by Australian Physiotherapist Dean Watson. This approach focuses on the connection between the upper cervical spine (the top of the neck) and the brainstem, a key factor in many headache and migraine conditions.
Through evidence-based manual techniques, Rooma assesses whether neck dysfunction may be contributing to your symptoms. She then develops a tailored treatment plan to help reduce frequency and intensity, while empowering you to manage your condition confidently.
Rooma combines her expertise in musculoskeletal physiotherapy with a calm, compassionate approach. She’s committed to helping people who’ve experienced ongoing headaches gain a clear understanding of their triggers and find practical, long-term solutions.
Understanding your headaches
Often traditional diagnostic techniques such as scans fail to identify any cause for your headaches/migraines and as result the only solution is to prescribe medication. Some medications have side-effects, some simply don’t work, and many people feel that they need to take them for the rest of their life; which may not be necessary.
Just like a lower back injury can refer pain down the leg like in Sciatica, a disturbance in the upper part of the cervical spine or top of the neck can cause:
- Tension headache
- Migraine or cluster headache
- Neck, jaw or ear pain
- Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, visual disturbances
Our headache treatment process
At Balance Physio’s Gold Coast Headache Clinic, we use an evidence-based assessment and treatment process grounded in research from the Watson Headache® Institute. This approach focuses on the relationship between the upper cervical spine (the top of the neck) and the brainstem, a connection shown to influence many forms of headache and migraine.
Understanding your headaches
Many people living with chronic or recurring headaches find that scans and medical tests don’t reveal a clear cause. In some cases, the true source of pain lies in the upper part of the neck. When the joints in this area become irritated, they can refer pain into the head, face, jaw, or behind the eyes, creating symptoms that closely mimic tension headaches, migraines, or cluster headaches.
Our Physiotherapists are trained to identify whether your neck is contributing to your symptoms through a detailed clinical assessment. Understanding this link is key to providing effective, targeted treatment.
Comprehensive assessment
Using the Watson Headache® Approach, our therapists apply gentle, sustained pressure to specific joints in the upper neck to determine whether they reproduce your headache symptoms. This safe, non-manipulative technique (no joint cracking) helps confirm if the neck is involved.
If your headache or migraine symptoms ease during this process, it provides valuable information about which spinal levels may be contributing. This allows us to develop a precise, individualised treatment plan rather than relying on generalised approaches.
Tailored treatment
Treatment focuses on calming the overactive structures in the upper neck and reducing referred pain to the head and face. Our Physiotherapists use gentle manual therapy techniques alongside education and movement strategies to support long-term improvement.
For most patients, we recommend attending several sessions within the first few weeks to allow the body to adapt and respond. As your symptoms improve, appointment frequency is gradually reduced based on your progress and comfort.
If headaches return over time, follow-up sessions can be scheduled to help manage flare-ups and maintain stability.
Tailored treatment
Treatment focuses on calming the overactive structures in the upper neck and reducing referred pain to the head and face. Our Physiotherapists use gentle manual therapy techniques alongside education and movement strategies to support long-term improvement.
For most patients, we recommend attending several sessions within the first few weeks to allow the body to adapt and respond. As your symptoms improve, appointment frequency is gradually reduced based on your progress and comfort.
If headaches return over time, follow-up sessions can be scheduled to help manage flare-ups and maintain stability.
Tailored headache therapy techniques to suit your needs
At Balance Physio, our Physiotherapists employ a range of techniques tailored to your individual needs. These may include hands-on manual therapy, targeted exercise prescription, dry needling, joint mobilisation, soft tissue release, postural correction, and movement retraining. We also incorporate education and practical strategies to help you better understand your condition, reduce pain, and prevent future injury.
Gold Coast Headache Clinic approach
At the Gold Coast Headache Clinic we use the Watson Headache Approach to assess and treat headache-related conditions.
Access to headache and migraine treatments
The only hands-on technique shown to decrease activity in the ‘headache centre’ of the brainstem
Developed by Australian Physiotherapist Dr Dean Watson over the last 35 years
Assesses and treats a fault in the top of the spine that causes headaches or migraines
Our service prices
Many headache and migraine treatments costs hundreds of dollars a session however we want to ensure that our services are able to be accessed by as many headache and migraine sufferers as possible. As such we keep our fees as low as possible as outlined below and we provide preferred rates for members of Medibank Private, BUPA & NIB.
Frequently asked questions
Find answers to common questions about our headache appointment, and what to expect during your treatment.
How do you clinically analyse a headache?
At Balance Physio’s Gold Coast Headache Clinic, our Physiotherapists use a detailed clinical assessment to understand what’s driving your symptoms. This includes reviewing your headache history, triggers, and patterns, followed by gentle hands-on testing of the upper cervical spine. If applying light pressure to specific joints in the neck reproduces or eases your symptoms, it helps confirm that your headaches may be referred from this area.
What does a headache clinic do?
A headache clinic specialises in the assessment and management of chronic or recurring headaches and migraines. At Balance Physio, we focus on identifying whether dysfunction in the upper neck is contributing to your pain, using the Watson Headache® Approach — a safe, non-manipulative method backed by clinical research. We then create a personalised plan that includes manual therapy, education, and self-management strategies.
How do I know if I need to see a headache clinic for treatment?
If you experience frequent headaches or migraines that haven’t improved with medication or standard Physiotherapy, it may be worth seeking an assessment. Signs that a headache clinic may help include pain triggered by neck movement, stiffness at the base of the skull, or headaches that consistently return despite other treatments. Our initial consultation can help determine whether your neck is involved and if this approach is suitable for you.
