Headaches

The condition of headaches

80% of headaches originate from the neck. Usually an increased amount of stress and tension held in the shoulders causes contractions of all of the surrounding neck muscles. When these muscles contract, vertebrae can become misaligned causing pressure on spinal nerves, and ultimately pain.

The neck is a big factor

With a typical cervicogenic (neck origin) headache, a person usually feels pain starting at the base of the skull which radiates into the temples, eyeballs, and forehead. There may be several other causes of headaches, so a proper examination is needed to determine the actual cause.

How we help

After determining the type of headache, the patient is suffering from, the doctor of chiropractic will put together a treatment plan based on the patients needs. According to a 2014 report in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), interventions commonly used in chiropractic care improved outcomes for the treatment of acute and chronic neck pain. Also, a 2011 JMPT study found that chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation improves migraine and cervicogenic headaches.

Performing spinal manipulation or chiropractic adjustments to improve spinal function and alleviate any stress to the nervous system has been shown to be effective in treating headaches. Dietary recommendations and nutritional advice is also important to look at for headache suffers. Advice may also be given on posture, ergonomics and well as exercise and relaxation techniques.

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