Discover causes, ways to relieve headache pain and when to seek chiropractic help for headaches.
What causes headache pain?
Patients commonly visit chiropractors for help relieving headache pain caused by tension headaches and migraine headaches. What is the difference? Tension headaches start in your neck and refer to your temples, your jaw, what we refer to as the “hat band” (the area of your head a hat band touches). Even tension headaches can pound like crazy and cause excruciating pain. This type of headache respond very well to chiropractic care.
Many people think that because a headache is severe, it must be a migraine. Not so. Migraines are special headaches with neurological components, vascular components or both. People who get migraines can frequently have one without having a headache. Some get nauseous and vomit, some see weird spots that float in the visual field and some people develop speech problems. Severe migraines can even mimic strokes. Depending on the type of migraine, what triggers it and how severe it is, I have found true traditional migraines frequently but not always respond to chiropractic care.
Why does chiropractic help relieve headache pain?
Chiropractic help relieve the pain of a headache by gently improving the alignment of the spine and natural curve in the neck. Chiropractic encourages the bones of the spine to move better. When those two things happen, the nerves that come out of the spine and control your muscles fire differently. Normal muscle tone can then return. If your muscles were spasming before an adjustment, they should start to relax after we are done. Spasms in muscles refer pain to your head. When that happens, it is called a trigger point. The trigger point is a knot in your muscles that refers pain to other places. Trigger points can happen all over your body. Most commonly, tension headache pain is caused by trigger points in the neck, upper back and shoulders.
What do you look for when finding a chiropractor to treat your headache pain?
First, look for someone through a referral or by reading online reviews. You can get a sense of who the doctor at the clinic is from what patients write. Second, look for someone with experience. While everyone is new at some point, leave the care of your neck in the hands of an expert. Third, look for someone who is honest and upfront about fees and who is not promising quick fixes. Healing takes time. Focus on finding a clinic who provides wellness chiropractic care. If there is a florescent neon sign in the window that says “auto accidents come here”, you are NOT in the right place.
Is our office Active Family Chiropractic the right place for you?
With nearly 18 years of experience I offer personalized and individualized care based on what you need. I don’t push my patients into giant, expensive care plans that they don’t want to do. It’s my feeling that if you like what I do, you will be back. Our doctor – patient relationships are based on trust and authenticity. After this long in my Plymouth practice, many of the kids I used to adjust have families of their own and bring them too.
You are always welcome to call and talk to me about the problem you are experiencing. If I can help you, I will tell you that on the phone. If I can’t, I will figure out who can.