Headache in View
Headache is a severe aching sensation in your head. Sometimes, the ache can be due to an illness or changes in your lifestyle, like eating or sleeping habits, and can be treated with over-the-counter pain medication. Many people have misconceptions about what triggers headaches and how to treat them.
Headaches have many causes, and these may include foods, environmental stimuli (noises, lights, stress, etc.) and/or behaviors (insomnia, excessive exercise, blood sugar changes, etc.). 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.
However, there are several types of headaches that are more effectively treated with chiropractic adjustments, these include migraine, cervicogenic headaches, and tension headaches.
Also see: Chiropractic benefits: Three Incredible Chiropractic Care Tips For Health Benefits.
Migraines:
This type of headaches cause nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound and are often located on one side of your head. These headaches commonly last for hours or days and can be debilitating.
The Causes of migraines are not fully understood but can include changes in lifestyle and hormones, certain medications, drinks like wine and coffee, and increased stress levels. Chiropractic massages focus on trigger points in your back, shoulders, neck, and head to help ease tension and relieve symptoms.
Cervicogenic headaches:
This kind of headache is what is known as a secondary headache. That means the headache pain is a result of an underlying condition and not the primary symptom. The underlying conditions are often structural issues with your vertebrae in your spine.
The pain from a cervicogenic headache begins in the back of your head and neck and radiates toward the front of your head. You might also experience symptoms like lack of mobility in your neck, pain on one side of your face or head, stiffness in your neck, nausea, or blurred vision.
Other causes of cervicogenic headaches include excessive straining of the neck. Manual laborers, long-distance drivers, and hairstylists are most at risk for developing these kinds of headaches. Injuries like whiplash and spinal fractures, infections, or arthritis can also cause you to experience cervicogenic headaches.
Tension headaches:
The most common kind of headache is a tension headache. Tension headaches are often described as feeling like a tight band around your head. You are likely to experience dull or aching head pain, tightness, or pressure across your forehead, and tenderness on your scalp, neck, and shoulder muscles.
To treat different forms of headaches, Chiropractors will imply treatment plans like:
- Performing spinal manipulation or adjustments to improve spinal function and alleviate the stress on your system.
- Provide nutritional advice, recommending a change in diet and perhaps the addition of B complex vitamins.
- 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 achieve a healthy lifestyle.