Headaches are unpleasant whether frequent, infrequent or life-stopping like migraines. Nobody wants them. Most people suffering from headache turn toward pain relief medications. Though medications are effective in suppressing the symptoms, the headache keeps running its marathon in your head. I would recommend you to take a look at what could be causing your headache and not just mask the symptoms with medications.

You do not get rid of a weed by cutting of its branches or pulling out a few leaves; you uproot it! It’s the same with all bodily aches and pains associated with diseases and other causes. You have to treat the problem as a whole and avoid hacking aimlessly at the symptoms. This is the area of wellness expertise where chiropractic care stands out from other remedies for pain relief and specifically for headaches.

Understanding your headache: Types and triggers

Depending on whether your headache is caused by underlying medical conditions, a headache may be classified as primary or secondary headache.

Primary headaches are usually migraines, tension-generated headaches, cervicogenic (characterized by pain on the side of the head) and cluster headaches. 90-95% of all headaches are of the Primary kind. These are triggered by lifestyle disorders like stress and muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp, insomnia, blood sugar levels, constant bad posture and lack of proper movement and exercise.

Secondary headaches are only 5-10% of all headaches experienced by people. They are caused by underlying medical conditions like pressure on the brain or skull caused by tumors or head injury and sometimes infection. These are warning signals about other complications.

Chiropractic intervention for treatment of headaches

Chiropractors believe that:

– There is a dynamic relationship between lifestyle, environment and health.
– The intimate relationship of the centrally-located spine and the nervous system and the capacities of the human body.
– The human body has the ability to recuperate given the help to correct imbalances created by external or internal causes.

When patients present to my office for the treatment of headaches, I consider their medical history; ask about their lifestyle, typical daily activities, and diet.

I perform spinal adjustments, specifically in the neck region in the case of cervicogenic headaches, to relieve stress and improve spinal function. I also treat the surrounding muscles that attach on the spinal joints to take pressure off of the joints. Tension headaches also respond well to chiropractic adjustments.

General advice for a headache-free life

– Keep yourself well hydrated – drink lots of water, avoid diuretic drinks like alcohol, tea and coffee.
– Moderate exercise is good for everyone; aerobics or walking.
– Take stretching and movement breaks between sedentary working hours.
– Sleep well and eat non-inflammatory food.

Headaches are not normal. You do not have to live with them. With simple lifestyle changes and chiropractic routine you can look forward to a headache-free future. As more and more patients who approach chiropractors have discovered, drug therapy is accompanied by side effects over time and treats pain only at the symptom level. The underlying cause remains hidden and triggers recurring headaches.

Today’s surveys and national studies show that patients undergoing chiropractic treatment experience sustained reduction in frequency of headaches than those patients on drugs for the same.