See A Chiropractor For Headaches

It seems like everyone gets some kind of headache at some point in their lives, but when the headaches don’t go away on their own, they may be more serious. Drugs and medications do a good job of masking the symptoms, but they don’t address the underlying cause of the problem. Many of these severe headaches can be slow to respond to chemical treatment, which, when made strong enough to address the headache, can have negative and potentially lasting consequences on the rest of the body when used over time. This is why many people with chronic head pain look to the more natural (and often more effective) alternative solution of chiropractic. There Are Different Kinds of Headaches In order to better treat any type of condition, it is first important to try to understand what is causing the problem. Since there are many different types of headaches, some can be treated better by chiropractic than some of the others. Headaches can be caused by -changes in vascular constriction -tension of the muscles -congestion of the sinuses These headaches may refer pain all over the head and feel like they’re centered in many different locations, but it is most important to know that chiropractic is a great solution to those headaches that are centered around tension in the muscles and changes to vascular flow. Sinus headaches may be treated as well, but its likely that the cause is more complicated. The three kinds of headaches most often founding chiropractic offices are: -migraine headaches -tension headaches -cervicogenic headaches The last kind of headache mentioned can sound a bit scary, but cervicogenic means a headache that is being caused by the bones, muscles, or nerves of neck. Tension Headaches If we become stressed, scared, or angry, your body will respond with increased muscle tension in the head, neck, and shoulders. This reaction is called the fight or flight response, and it is the normal response to stress. If we are stressed often (as most of us are) and we can neither run or fight, the muscle tension becomes a habit. This can lead to imbalances in the body, which then leads to more muscle tension and pain. Chiropractic care can will relax the tight muscles and realign the spine underneath to end this vicious cycle of pain. Those that are seeking treatment for tension headaches may often see a drastic improvement with just a few spinal adjustments as the nerves become less irritated and the muscles become more relaxed. Migraine Headaches Migraines are caused by changes in vascular flow, brought about by a variety of factors such as changes in the weather, stress, hormonal changes, different smells or foods and all sorts of other triggers. These headaches do not usually start as pain but instead often begin as visual auras or nausea. The ensuing headache can be strong or weak, but for most people migraines tend to be very painful. Recent studies have shown chiropractic treatment may play a significant role in reducing the number of migraines a person has. By careful manipulation of the neck and spine, chiropractic adjustments may be able to reduce nerve irritation in the spine, thus preventing radiating or referred pain, and improve vascular flow. Treatment Types Chiropractic focuses on adjusting the spine and neck to improve posture and blood flow. To treat the headache, the doctor of chiropractic will perform an adjustment using his or her hands, but may also utilize trigger point therapy, massage, or other complementary treatments to approach the problem. The chiropractor will also likely recommend some basic posture education and some stretching exercises to improve how long the effects of treatment last.