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.
The worst headaches can be slow to respond to the intended effect of the medications. The stronger medications can have negative and long-lasting effects to the rest of your body when used for extended periods. They is why many people finally decide to look to other, more natural (and safer) solutions for their problem such as chiropractic.
There Are Different Kinds of Headaches
In order to better treat any problem it is first important to understand what causes it. There are many different kinds of headaches, some which can be treated by chiropractic better than others. Headaches are most commonly caused by
-changes by vascular constriction
-muscle tension
-sinus congestion
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 (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
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 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
Migraine headaches are caused by changes in vascular flow, which can be brought about by a variety of factors such as changes in the weather, hormonal changes, stress, even different smells or foods — just to name a few. These headaches do not always start as pain, but may begin with nausea or visual auras. The headache can be strong or weak, but most migraine sufferers experience very painful headaches.
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
Chiropractic treatment centers around the idea of manipulating the spinal column and neck to improve posture and blood flow. To treat a headache, the chiropractor will likely perform an adjustment with his or her hands, but may also use trigger point therapy, massage and other supporting types of treatments to create a holistic approach to the problem. The chiropractor will also likely recommend some stretching exercises and basic changes in posture to help keep things balanced in between visits.
Originally posted 2009-04-09 02:07:11.
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