The Cellardyke Headache Clinic is located right on the seafront of the East Coast of Scotland near St Andrews / Anstruther and visiting patients can sit and enjoy the spectacular views through the clinic windows.

The clinic is run by Mrs Janet Gravener, an award winning Osteopath who is passionate about “heads” and their “aches”.

Janet is a registered osteopath and licensed medical acupuncturist. She is passionate about treating “heads” and their “aches” and is the proud recipient of an Oustanding Achievement Award for reducing the burden of Migraine in the UK population from the charity Migraine Action.

She also practices cranial osteopathy and is fascinated by the brain, the cranial and facial bones, the nerves, the dynamics of the cerebrospinal fluid and their bio-neuromusculoskeletal ramifications in the body’s organs and framework. So whether you suffer from jaw, eye or temporal pain or aches anywhere else in the skull or neck, she needs to know.

As a post-graduate osteopath Janet studied the Clinical Management of Headache Disorders with the University of Edinburgh obtaining a PGCert (Dist). Then, in 2019 she took part in the EDS Echo Project studying the professional assessment, diagnosis and management of Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders and Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes. She is now an EDS Allied Healthcare Professional and specialises in treating clients who have (or had) clicky joints and increased flexibility.

Janet works holistically and in synergy with headache sufferers, combining their own complex and unique experiences and treatment preferences with her advanced, evidence based training. She believes that client’s experiences and their signs and symptoms should be listened to and explanations given as to the causes why. In validating client’s concerns she also provides advocacy and writes letters for those needing further assistance and/or referrals to other healthcare professionals.

Janet is a member of the Institute of Osteopathy,(link) the largest membership body of osteopaths in the UK and works to develop the profession for the benefit of patient health. She has published articles for clinicians ranging from “A Clinical update on Hypermobility, A clinical update on Polymyalgia Rheumatica" and written about the harm from chemicals used within healthcare premises and "Indoor Air quality”. She is registered and regulated by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsc link)

How we differ from mainstream treatment of headaches

In- person appointments offer the added bonus of having your head examined by not just being visually assessed (online-appointments). Cranial osteopaths use their hands to detect compression, stress, asymmetry, imbalances and inertia in the structures of the head and body. For example, if a shoulder muscle becomes tight or contracted, this can cause joint stiffness, reduce the range of movement of the head and create tension in the surrounding tissues. This can compress blood vessels and reduce the flow of blood carrying oxygen and nutrients to the area. Lymph and venous drainage can be disturbed and thus interfere with the removal of waste products and toxins. Compression of the greater occipital nerve is common and results in a pain radiating from the base of the skull to the forehead. Therefore all customers will “Get their head examined” and necks examined which is usually an extremely gentle and relaxing process.

Therefore the aim of treatment is to facilitate the expresssion of and promote health in tissues that have become disordered or affected by pathology.

Sufferers of both migraine and tension type headaches often complain of stiff necks, tight shoulder muscles or jaw-ache and research has shown that trigger points in the muscles in these areas can create head pain.

These images show just a few of the Muscle Tension referral patterns: