Even if you were not reading this article, chances are that you suffer from headaches.
About 90 percent of Americans do.
The frequency and intensity of these headaches vary among individuals, but most of us have experienced a pounding headache, or a dull ache followed by nausea at some point in our lives.
People try different approaches to cope with the throbbing pain.
Some grin and bear it.
Others lie down or rub their temples.
Most take pain medication while they wait for the pain to go away.
And while it's true that the present headache does go away, taking medication only alleviates momentary pain.
Some migraine medications may provide instant relief, but may cause another rebound migraine the following day.
The Chiropractic Approach Chiropractic care has shown another, more effective and long lasting approach to treating headaches.
According to research findings, spinal manipulation may be an effective way to treat tension headaches and headaches that have their origin in the neck.
In addition, findings showed that spinal manipulation offered sustained pain relief for tension headaches.
It also presented much fewer side effects than common medication.
A study showed that spinal manipulation effectively treats tension headaches.
Patients who underwent repeated treatments of at least four weeks experienced long-lasting pain relief.
Another clinical trial showed that 72 percent of migraine patients had their symptoms significantly or noticeably reduced after a treatment session of chiropractic care.
The trial was conducted on 123 migraine sufferers, most of whom were chronic headache sufferers (the average length of time was 18 years of headaches).
The improvement these patients encountered was seen as especially significant considering how chronic many of these cases were.
The above study also looked at the neck's role in leading to headaches, concluding that it is a significant contributing factor.
Chiropractic care's methods of addressing this issue were shown to be very effective.
What Causes a Headache? There are many factors that can lead to a headache.
These factors can include unsettling noises, stress, eating certain foods, blood sugar changes, insomnia and much more.
A small percentage of all headaches are also warning signs of another physical illness.
The majority of headaches are not related to a disease, however.
Rather they are known as primary headaches, which include migraine, tension or cluster headaches.
Most of these primary headaches are related to tension in the neck muscles.
Spending hours in a fixed position is partly the culprit, since a sedentary lifestyle and fixed postures can lead to irritation of the joint and muscle tension in the neck, as well as the upper back and scalp.
This irritation and tension can, in turn, cause a headache.
What Can Help? Avoid dehydration by drinking at least eight glasses of water a day.
Dehydration is associated with causing headaches.
Make sure to stretch every 30 minutes to one hour if you spend a lot of time in one fixed position, such as sitting in front of a computer.
When you stretch, move your head in such a way that it comfortably exercises your range of motion.
Exercise that is low impact, such as walking and light aerobics, may help relieve the pain.
But avoid a heavy exercise routine if you are afflicted with throbbing headaches.
When you are not swallowing food, avoid clenching your teeth.
This places stress on the joints that connect your jaw to your skull, leading to irritation and possibly, a tension headache.
The Chiropractic Role Provided you have a primary headache that is not a symptom of another disease, your doctor of chiropractic may do the following to give you effective headache relief: • Offer nutritional recommendations in the form of dietary changes and the use of certain supplements.
• Advise you on ergonomics (adequate work postures), relaxation techniques, and helpful exercises.
Adopting some of these techniques and exercises can help you reduce joint irritation and tension in the neck and upper back.
• Make spinal adjustment or manipulation to boost spinal function and reduce overall stress on your body.
Remember, doctors of chiropractic are trained to know how tension in the spine affects the body as a whole.
Once your spine tension is addressed, primary headaches tend to go away on their own.
About 90 percent of Americans do.
The frequency and intensity of these headaches vary among individuals, but most of us have experienced a pounding headache, or a dull ache followed by nausea at some point in our lives.
People try different approaches to cope with the throbbing pain.
Some grin and bear it.
Others lie down or rub their temples.
Most take pain medication while they wait for the pain to go away.
And while it's true that the present headache does go away, taking medication only alleviates momentary pain.
Some migraine medications may provide instant relief, but may cause another rebound migraine the following day.
The Chiropractic Approach Chiropractic care has shown another, more effective and long lasting approach to treating headaches.
According to research findings, spinal manipulation may be an effective way to treat tension headaches and headaches that have their origin in the neck.
In addition, findings showed that spinal manipulation offered sustained pain relief for tension headaches.
It also presented much fewer side effects than common medication.
A study showed that spinal manipulation effectively treats tension headaches.
Patients who underwent repeated treatments of at least four weeks experienced long-lasting pain relief.
Another clinical trial showed that 72 percent of migraine patients had their symptoms significantly or noticeably reduced after a treatment session of chiropractic care.
The trial was conducted on 123 migraine sufferers, most of whom were chronic headache sufferers (the average length of time was 18 years of headaches).
The improvement these patients encountered was seen as especially significant considering how chronic many of these cases were.
The above study also looked at the neck's role in leading to headaches, concluding that it is a significant contributing factor.
Chiropractic care's methods of addressing this issue were shown to be very effective.
What Causes a Headache? There are many factors that can lead to a headache.
These factors can include unsettling noises, stress, eating certain foods, blood sugar changes, insomnia and much more.
A small percentage of all headaches are also warning signs of another physical illness.
The majority of headaches are not related to a disease, however.
Rather they are known as primary headaches, which include migraine, tension or cluster headaches.
Most of these primary headaches are related to tension in the neck muscles.
Spending hours in a fixed position is partly the culprit, since a sedentary lifestyle and fixed postures can lead to irritation of the joint and muscle tension in the neck, as well as the upper back and scalp.
This irritation and tension can, in turn, cause a headache.
What Can Help? Avoid dehydration by drinking at least eight glasses of water a day.
Dehydration is associated with causing headaches.
Make sure to stretch every 30 minutes to one hour if you spend a lot of time in one fixed position, such as sitting in front of a computer.
When you stretch, move your head in such a way that it comfortably exercises your range of motion.
Exercise that is low impact, such as walking and light aerobics, may help relieve the pain.
But avoid a heavy exercise routine if you are afflicted with throbbing headaches.
When you are not swallowing food, avoid clenching your teeth.
This places stress on the joints that connect your jaw to your skull, leading to irritation and possibly, a tension headache.
The Chiropractic Role Provided you have a primary headache that is not a symptom of another disease, your doctor of chiropractic may do the following to give you effective headache relief: • Offer nutritional recommendations in the form of dietary changes and the use of certain supplements.
• Advise you on ergonomics (adequate work postures), relaxation techniques, and helpful exercises.
Adopting some of these techniques and exercises can help you reduce joint irritation and tension in the neck and upper back.
• Make spinal adjustment or manipulation to boost spinal function and reduce overall stress on your body.
Remember, doctors of chiropractic are trained to know how tension in the spine affects the body as a whole.
Once your spine tension is addressed, primary headaches tend to go away on their own.