If you have a headache, you’re not alone. 9 out of 10 Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea. Headaches can keep you from working and enjoying life.
What do you do when you suffer from a pounding headache? Do you have to stop your day, lay down in a dark room or take medication and hope the pain goes away? There is a better alternative.
Research shows that spinal manipulation, one of our primary treatments at Health In Motion Chiropractic, may be an effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck. This is also commonly referred to as a Chiropractic Adjustment.
Headaches have many causes, or “triggers.” These may include foods, alcohol, environmental stimuli such as noises, lights, stress, or insomnia, excessive exercise, and blood sugar changes. About 5 percent of all headaches are warning signals caused by physical problems.
The remaining 95 percent of headaches are primary headaches, such as tension, migraine, or cluster headaches. These types of headaches are not caused by disease; the headache itself is the primary concern.
Most primary headaches are associated with muscle tension in the neck. Today, Americans engage in more sedentary activities than in the past, and more hours are spent in one fixed position or posture such as sitting in front of a computer or TV and looking down at deskwork or reading. This can increase joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck, upper back, and scalp, causing your head to ache.
Tension headaches – caused by stress and tension
Cluster headaches – usually occurring in a series that can last from 15 minutes to three hours
Migraines – intense pulsing in your head that can last for days
Auto Accident Related Headaches are also important to note. Many who have recently been in a car crash experience pain in their neck, commonly referred to as whiplash. This can create headaches after a car crash. If you have recently been in an auto accident and experience pain in the neck or head, let us know soon!
Arthritis headaches – occurs when arthritis changes the bones in your neck
Caffeine withdrawal headaches
Allergy headaches
While headaches and migraines both cause pain and aching in your head, they are different conditions with different symptoms and causes. Headaches cause dull, aching head pain, and tightness or pressure in different parts of your head. Headaches can also cause soreness in your neck and shoulder muscles, and tenderness on your scalp.
Headaches and migraines are painful conditions. They can be frequent or occasion. Some people suffer from chronic headaches and migraines. Doctors that treat headaches using methods without Surgery and Drugs are referred to as Chiropractors.
The primary symptom of a headache is a pain in any region of your head. Headaches may occur on one or both sides of your head. They might happen in just one area of your head or radiate across your head from one place to another. Sometimes the pain is a dull ache, at other times it may feel like a sharp or stabbing pain.
Headaches can also feel like a vise squeezing your head. Headaches can start suddenly or slowly, and last anywhere from less than an hour to several days.
Migraine pain is severe, impacting only one side of your head in most cases and does not respond well to pain medications. During a migraine attack, you may feel nauseous and vomit, experience extreme sensitivity to sounds and light and have blurry vision. Some migraine sufferers see auras around people and objects.
Migraines are often so debilitating the person must lie down until the attack is over. If you are suffering from chronic headaches and migraines, your Health in Motion chiropractor offers holistic treatment based on principles of musculoskeletal and nervous system functioning.
Our headache doctor treats both migraines and headaches and can help bring relief to nearly everyone who suffers from these painful conditions when they originate from the cervical spine.
Your chiropractor at Health In Motion Chiropractic may do one or more of the following if you suffer from a primary headache: Perform spinal manipulation or chiropractic adjustments to improve spinal function and alleviate the stress on your system. Provide nutritional advice, recommending a change in diet and possibly adding certain supplements to help support nerve and muscle functioning. Offer advice on posture, ergonomics (work postures), exercises and relaxation techniques. This advice should help to relieve the recurring joint irritation and tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back.
Doctors of Chiropractic undergo extensive training to help their patients in many ways beyond just treatment for low-back pain. They know how tension in the spine relates to problems in other parts of the body, and they can take steps to relieve those problems.
If headaches or migraines are interfering with your life, make an appointment with our chiropractic team from Debary. Please call Health In Motion Chiropractic (386) 320-0325
