Can chiropractic help with headaches?

Headaches are a common health concern and a complaint that many are familiar with.  Countless people wake up with headaches every morning, and others suffer with them as they develop throughout the day. Nine in ten Americans suffer from headaches at some point in their lives. These can be nagging and annoying at best, and unfortunately can effect ordinary activities throughout the day and even steal some of the enjoyment from our lives.

So, what exactly IS a headache? Technically, this is defined as any pain in the region of the head, face, or neck. Headaches can present themselves as dull and achy, or throbbing and intense. Head pain can last anywhere from just a few quick seconds to an entire day (or multiple days if left untreated). Headaches often are the result of irritation or inflammation of the tissues in and surrounding the neck and brain. When these tissues are aggravated, we sense pain and discomfort, and this is what we refer to as a headache.

Because the cause of a headache is often due to irritation of muscles and tissues, it makes sense that a spinal misalignment, or subluxation, can be responsible for this common problem. When we look at a diagram of the spine and surrounding anatomy, we see that spinal nerves actually travel in very close proximity to the bones of the spinal column. Those bones do not need to move very far (just a matter of millimeters) before they start to put pressure on the very sensitive tissues surrounding those nerves. Spinal nerves are very delicate and responsive to pain, and the slightest bit of pressure can cause some very serious discomfort.  When these nerves travel to the brain and face area, it makes sense that we would feel pain here when we are subluxated.

So how does chiropractic help to relieve your headache? Your chiropractor will use a hands-on approach to evaluate the bones and muscles of your neck to determine if you have any spinal subluxations. If a subluxation is found, they will use their hands or a mechanical instrument to deliver a very precise and corrective adjustment. This adjustment will move the segment back into alignment, taking pressure off of the corresponding nerve, and thus relieving pain and discomfort.

If you, or someone you know, has been suffering from headaches and is looking to get to the root of the problem, a chiropractic treatment may be just what they need to feel and heal better. Join the millions of Americans utilizing chiropractic care to find health and wellness in a natural and holistic manner.