Chiropractic treatments are designed to help the body function at its peak. No matter how old you are, what kind of shape you’re in, or the frequency in which you have them, dealing with frequent headaches can be incredibly frustrating, and can quickly become debilitating. Different types of headaches include:

• Tension
• Cervicogenic or neck muscle-related
• Migraine
• Secondary headaches from an underlying condition, such as fever, infectious disease, sinus disorder, or in rare cases, a tumor or more serious illness

Regardless of the type of headache, waking up with pain can interfere with your day no matter what may be on your calendar. While many of us are comfortable relying on pain medication to deal with the symptoms of a migraine or headache, there are other options to get to the root cause of your pain.

How Can Chiropractic Care Relieve Headaches?

Spinal Manipulation

 This will improve spinal function and help reduce any stress on your neuromuscular system.

• Research has shown that spinal manipulation can effectively treat tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.
• According to a 2011 study conducted by the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation, improves migraine and cervicogenic headaches.
• The American Chiropractic Association states that the majority of primary headaches are associated with muscle tension in the neck. Extended amounts of time spent in one fixed position or posture can result in an increase of joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck, upper back, and scalp. This could cause your head to ache.

Provide Education

 Your chiropractor will work with you to understand what triggers could cause or contribute to your headaches. Recognizing these triggers can help patients prevent as many painful headaches as possible. This is the best defense against the return of headaches after having treatment. Your chiropractor may:

• Provide nutritional advice or recommend changes to your diet, like the addition of complex B vitamins.
• Provide you with ergonomics and posture advice.
• Suggest at-home stretches and techniques to decrease the tension in your muscles, as relaxation techniques and exercises can help relieve the recurring joint irritation and tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back.

At MCR Chiropractic, our chiropractors are prepared to help you fight through the fog of headaches. Your chiropractor will get to root cause of your pain and empower you to take control of your headaches to live a life full of motion. Contact your nearest MCR office to get started or fill out the form below!

Resources:

• https://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(11)00068-6/fulltext
• https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Headaches-and-Chiropractic