Headaches – How Can Chiropractic Help?

Everyone gets the occasional headache, but some headaches get so bad they won’t go away. While drugs treat the symptoms, they often ignore the underlying cause of the problem.

Many of the more severe headache symptoms are slow to respond to chemical treatment, which when made more intense to address the headache, can have long lasting and often negative effects to the body when used over time. This is why many people with chronic head pain look to the more natural (and very often the more effective alternative) solution of chiropractic care.

There Are Different Kinds of Headaches

When treating any type of health condition, the first and most important step is to understand what is causing the problem. Since there are many different kinds of headaches, some are more effectively treated by chiropractic than others. Headaches are often caused by

-changes by 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 main types of headaches most often found in chiropractic offices are:

-migraine headaches

-tension headaches

-Cervicogenic headaches (headaches from the neck)

This last category sounds a bit daunting but cervicogenic simply means a headache that is caused by referred pain that actually originates within the bone or muscles of the neck.

Tension Headaches

When we are stressed, frightened or angry, the bodys normal response is to tense the muscles in our neck, shoulders and head. This reaction is called the fight or flight response. Unfortunately, when situations requiring that fight or flight response arise frequently or the stress is a constant in our lives we can neither run from or fight with, that muscle tension can become a habit.

This can lead to imbalances in the way we hold our body, which in turn lead to more muscle tension and pain. Chiropractic treatment can often relax these muscles and realign the skeletal structure underneath to end the vicious cycle of pain. Those seeking treatment for tension headaches may often see drastic improvement in just a few sessions as nerves are less irritated and muscles become more relaxed.

Migraine Headaches

Migraines are brought about by changes in vascular flow, triggered by a variety of factors such as different smells, foods, weather, hormonal changes, and stress. These often very painful headaches do not always start off as pain. They can begin with nausea or the person may experience a halo effect called a visual aura.

Recent research has indicated that chiropractic treatment can reduce the number of migraines a person experiences. By adjusting the neck and spine with chiropractic treatment, you may be able to improve vascular flow and reduce the nerve irritation in the spine.

Types of Treatment

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.

Philip Vincent is a health educator. Need a San Antonio Chiropractor? Consider a visit to this Chiropractor San Antonio.

categories: chiropractic,chiropractor,headache,headaches,alternative medicine,natural health,pain relief,neck pain,wellness,health,health and fitness,conditions,conditions and diseases,exercise

Subscribe To The Of All Post Filed Under Exercises