"Fourways Chiropractic For the Whole Family"
Headaches (cephalgia) are a common reason why people may visit their family doctor. Tension type headache, migraine or cervicogenic headaches are common types of headache you may get. Did you know that one of your headache treatment options is your local chiropractor? Chiropractic could help you manage the musculoskeletal causes of your headache and migraine.
Headaches are so common that almost everyone has the odd headache now and again and just takes it for granted, but you may be suffering more than you can cope with. Headaches at least once a week or more are of concern and need to be examined by your local chiropractor or GP.
Tension type headaches are one of the most common type of headache. Tension type headaches tend to have a strong connection with emotional and physical stress. People may experience tight, tender muscles knots in their neck, muscle of the jaw joint (bruxism or teeth grinding) and feel a vice-like pressure over the side of their heads.
Looking for the source of the type of stress causing tension in your body is important to control and manage tension type headaches.
Migraine is a severe headache, that tends to be on one side of the head and can be accompanied by other symptoms(a.k.a. auras) that may include increased sensitivity to light or sound, nausea or visual disturbances, that can last for hours or even days. If preceded with an aura then the migraine is known as a "classic migraine", if not then it is usually a "common migraine".
Even though migraine headache causes are thought to be of a vascular mechanism, mechanical problems affecting the vertebrae (the bones of your spine) in your neck will contribute in causing a headache, and may be a contributory factor in migraines.
Your chiropractor will be able to identify restricted passive or active movement of the vertebrae in your spine. Helping to improve the restricted spinal movement and decrease abnormal muscle tension can help the pain of a migraine. The aim is to reduce physical stress on the muscles and joints which could be over stimulating your nervous system which in turn may be causing the migraine problem.
If you have had a neck injury due to a road accident whiplash, sporting accident, or a repetitive strain to your neck through bad posture, these type of events tend to cause a cervicogenic headache. Chiropractic can be effective in the treatment of headaches that are the result of these injuries.
The type of headache and neck pain you are experiencing can be reproduced by palpating (feeling) the spine and neck muscles. Cervicogenic headache symptoms tend to be a dull or aching pain, affecting the base of the skull or one or both sides of your head.
Here is where chiropractic can make a big difference with a chiropractic adjustment which restores normal motion to those restricted spinal joints, which then stimulates your nervous system and can help relax the tight muscles.
Care is given to have the three systems (muscle, joints and nerves) working properly whilst giving you practical advice in reducing tension in your neck, shoulders and jaw.
Chiropractors can be key component to helping balance the daily physical stresses that are placed on your nerves, muscles and joints. This in turn can help you balance the need for headache pain killer drugs.
Recent evidence suggests that it is not just adults that suffer with headaches, children get headaches too! Headaches in children can begin in early childhood. Headache pain may develop from those 'bumps' and 'knocks' a child goes through when learning to crawl, walk, run etc...
You can consult with a chiropractor who has a special interest in the chiropractic treatment of children.
Here are some common tips to try to resolve a headache:
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If you recognise any of the below these can be early signs of a stroke and emergency medical care will be required.
Headache treatment as done by a chiropractor will always start off with a thorough physical and historical examination to determine if you have a tension type headache, cervicogenic headache, migraine or another type of headache.
The aim of Chiropractic care for headaches is to:
