Chiropractic and Headaches:Headache is the most frequent reason for people to seek advice from their health practitioner.
Numerous causes exist, but in many instances headaches are a direct result of irritation to the nerves communicating with the head and neck.
Research shows chiropractic care to be of great benefit to many headache suffers.
The Pains of Headaches:
Pain may be felt at the base of the skull, or spread throughout the surface of the head, to the face and eyes. It may be felt on one or both sides of the head.
Often other symptoms accompany headache, such as visual disturbances (blurring, flashes of light etc.) often diagnosed as migraine, nausea, facial pain, tingling, jaw tension, painful teeth, hearing disturbances, ear pain and dizziness. Many symptoms can result from one cause.
What are the Causes of Headaches?
Three major categories exist:
Mechanical:
Headaches are often due to poorly functioning neck joints (subluxations) which affect the nerves to the neck, head and face.
Other causes may include damaged muscles and ligaments of the neck, jaw clenching and misalignment and possibly lower spine imbalance.
Injury leading to headache may result from major trauma such as a car or sporting accident, or from repetitive minor trauma associated with poor working posture, incorrect sleeping position or poor bedding.
Chiropractic treatment and advice can be of assistance in all of these areas.
Emotional:
Emotional stress increases muscular tension, particularly at the base of the neck, head and jaw. This can irritate nerves and upset blood flow, causing headache. Chiropractic treatment and advice on relaxation techniques can be of assistance.
Chemical:
Certain foods (e.g. chocolate, wine, beer, eggs and tomatoes) chemicals and environmental pollutants may trigger an allergic type reaction resulting in headache.
Occasionally, headache may be a sign of a more serious condition, and thorough examination is essential to determine the origins of the pain.
I use a multi-discipline approach to assist in the management of headache and will refer the patient to other health practitioners when necessary.