Headaches and How Chiropractic Can Help

Headaches and migraines are one of the main reasons if not the main reason why people typically present to the practice, seeking Chiropractic Care. Patients can often describe their headaches as a constant dull ache or throb which seems to start at the back of the head. To begin with we can often assume that it’s a one-off occurrence and that over the course of the day it will subside.

Does this sound like something you experience from time to time? We all love a quick and efficient solution so typically we rely on some Panadol or Nurofen to help ease the pain and let us get back to our day but there typically comes a time when this is no longer an effective way of coping.

Almost everyone will experience a headache at some point in their life but they are not all the same nor do they have the same effects or triggers. So what types of headaches are there and which do you suffer from/experience?

The 3 most common are

• Migraines: sensitivity to light and sound is common during migraine headaches.
• Tension Headaches: related to stress, anxiety, dehydration, posture and more lifestyle factors
• Cluster headaches: typically classified by pain behind or around the eye.

Diagnosing what kind of headache, you are experiencing or experienced is the first step in identifying the best care plan for you. Often a few simple changes in your daily routine have the potential to reduce or eliminate chronic headaches.

Tension type headaches are the most common seen in the practice, with the shift and increase in time in which we all spend on computers, tablets and mobile phones the time we spend in these repetitive and static postures can be some of the main contributing factors to your headaches.

Taking a pro-active step of improving your posture and ergonomics at work, moderating screen time and reducing some foods such as cured meats, aged cheeses and alcohol which have been linked to headaches can have a positive impact on not only your headache severity but prevalence.

So how can Chiropractic care help with your headaches? Simple.

A lot of tension type headaches and migraines can often originate from the neck referring up to the back of the skull or to the side of neck radiating to the temple. On examination, patients whom present with chronic headaches often have:

• Reduced range of movement in their neck (cervical spine)
• Reduced movement in thoracic spine.
• Compressed or pinched nerves
• History of neck pain
• Muscle tension in the shoulders

For more information or if you would like us to help you with your Headaches simply give the practice a call on (03) 9995 8164 or book online on the below link.