Headaches and Chiropractic
Headaches and Chiropractic
Although the International Headache Society lists 129 different types of headaches, the general categories are tension, cluster and migraine with associate pain being described as sharp, stabbing, dull, throbbing and vice-like. Migraine with or without aura is the most common form of acute recurrent headache in children.
Different types of physical, chemical and emotional stress— including fatigue, worry, noise, fluorescent lights, travel, improper sleep, smoke and food additives such as MSG and nitrates, often trigger headaches.
Although these things may trigger a headache, the actual cause of the headache is often a series of traumatic or repetitive micro-traumatic events— including motor vehicle accidents, contact sports, postural habits, whiplash and occupational tasks.
Headaches and other symptoms may take weeks, months and even years to show up following these events.
“The negative impact of chronic headaches on quality of life, families, and productivity can be significant and is generally underrated by the medical profession.”
University of Maryland Medical Center
Causes of Headaches
Although headaches are not caused by just one specific source, a large amount of research clearly demonstrates that the majority of headaches are caused by problems in the cervical (neck) region of the spine. The vertebra of the cervical spine can become misaligned because of excessive or repetitive stress.
These misalignments, also known as“vertebral subluxations” irritate the nerves in the neck and cause excessive muscle tension, all of which can contribute to a wide variety of headaches.
Treatment for Headaches
Headaches have commonly been treated with medications such as aspirin or Tylenol.
Americans consume 80 billion aspirin tablets each year. Aspirin, which is the active ingredient in more than 50 over the counter medications, may temporarily relieve the discomfort of the headache, but it does little to correct the cause of the problem.
Moreover, its use has been associated with bleeding ulcers, Reyes syndrome and kidney disorders.
Taking painkillers on a regular basis can make subsequent headaches even worse, causing a condition known as “rebound headache” or “medical overuse headache”.
An increasing number of headache victims are turning to Chiropractic for help. This only makes sense as the Doctor of Chiropractic specializes in the structure of the spine and its protective relationship to the nervous system. Chiropractors detect and correct spinal misalignments by physically adjusting the spine to restore its proper structural position.
This removes the spinal stress and allows the nervous system to function correctly. The effectiveness of Chiropractic in resolving headaches has been well documented in research and case studies all over the world.
This post contains excerpts from a report “Headaches and Chiropractic”. For a complete copy of the report contact our office and we will email it to you.
Our oldest son, Will, recently graduated from Air Force Basic Training at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX. We were able to make the drive down there to see him graduate. It was a very special weekend for our family. We were able to watch him march with his flight to receive his coin, tour his dorm, watch him march in parade, say his oath, tour the base, and take him off base to see San Antonio. On Sunday, we attended church with him on base. The pastor talked about “Grief” that Sunday. He listed all sorts of losses that cause grief. One of the losses that I particularly remember was the loss of health. Health is one of those things many people take for granted. Some don’t even think about health until they have a problem with it. Loss of health is very devastating – we’ve seen this in our office over the years: fathers and mothers unable to provide for their family because of debilitating pain, children unable to attend school regularly, retirees unable to enjoy retirement. The pastor, himself, faced a health problem that threatened to end his military career. It was a good reminder to take care of ourselves. We are each ultimately responsible for our own health. The body is constantly regenerating cells – remarkably every few years we have a completely new body. The things we do, eat, read, and consume today are the things our bodies use to make the new cells tomorrow.