Frequent headaches or migraines can significantly affect quality of life. Severe headaches can also affect our ability to concentrate and relax, leading to feelings of frustration, anxiety, and other negative thoughts.

Properly managing headaches is important to prevent further impairments and disability. Unfortunately, the most common treatment for a headache is pain medication. These can have nasty side effects with long term use and don’t address the root of the cause. More beneficial options include physical therapy and chiropractic care. Ideal Spine’s expert backed Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) techniques may be able to address the underlying issues causing headaches and lead to potential lasting relief.

What causes headaches?

There are several different types of headaches including tension headaches, cervicogenic headaches, and migraines. Tension headaches present as band like tension around the skull, while cervicogenic headaches are related to cervical spine dysfunction. Lastly, migraines tend to be an issue with blood perfusion leading to pain on one side of the head, sensitivity to light, and nausea.

No matter which type of headache is experienced, there is still a lot that is not understood about what causes them. Causative factors typically include overall health, pain beliefs, genetics, posture, stress levels, and neck stiffness. Each person’s headache symptoms are unique and require specialized attention for the best results.

Keeping track of symptoms is important for addressing more serious underlying issues. If headache symptoms change, become severe or chronic, or require frequent use of pain medications, talk to a trusted healthcare professional immediately.

How chiropractic care may provide headache relief

Treatment for headaches requires a multifaceted comprehensive approach to be able to holistically address the issue. CBP certified chiropractors are specially trained to complete a full patient assessment and determine the best way to manage symptoms.
Chiropractic care for headaches can include manipulation to address spinal misalignment, soft tissue therapy to address tense areas in the neck and head, lifestyle education, modalities such as ice, heat, and traction, and much more. Treatment for each patient is personalized for their specific symptoms and needs to maximize outcomes.

Headaches can aggravate stress, affect sleep quality, and lead to poor mental health. Comprehensive CBP chiropractic corrective care can help promote better spine alignment, nerve flow and reduce overall neck stiffness. When working with a CBP chiropractor, such as Green Chiropractic, clinic care visits will be more frequent at first and then gradually decrease with time as an individual improves and a program is designed for self-management at home.

Additional lifestyle factors that may help with headache management include nutrition, particularly caffeine reduction, stress management such as exercise and social time, adjusting the amount of daily screen time, and relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, and meditation.