There are different types of headaches, including migraine, cluster and tension headaches. Severe headaches may not quickly respond to oral pain medications, and you may experience nausea, blurry vision and sound/light sensitivity with the headache. Fortunately, you can treat chronic headaches with chiropractic procedures.
What Causes Chronic Headaches?
Many people have headaches as a result of an illness like the flu, a cold and/or a fever. Chronic headaches typically arise from physical and emotional pressure or muscle strain in the neck and shoulders. Both chronic headaches and migraines happen as a result of excessive stimulation of neurological endings that occurs in the brain, generating painful signals and controlling the abnormal constriction of blood vessels.
Many people usually manage symptoms of chronic headaches by taking pain relief medications. The issue with this approach is that medications only provide temporary relief. Chiropractic care, however, can get rid of headache issues permanently.
What Types Of Headaches Do Chiropractors Treat?
#1 Tension Headaches
This type of headache happens when the muscle tissues in your head and neck region come together and join tightly, causing severe pain in the upper head or near the upper eye. The pain can also spread to the back, neck and all over the head. This type of headache is commonly caused by poor posture, stress or bending the neck while using a mobile phone for several hours.
#2 Migraine Headaches
Migraine is one of the most chronic illnesses affecting many individuals worldwide. Most people with migraines complain of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, severe fever and sensitivity to sound and light. This can negatively influence a person’s quality of life.
#3 Cluster Headaches
This headache is just as extreme as a migraine headache except that it occurs only in one area of the head and may last for some minutes or several hours. With this type, you will experience patterns of multiple headaches, happening on different occasions, daily. This means that headaches can appear and reappear anytime and can continue for months on end.
How Does Chiropractic Care Treat Headaches?
Chiropractors can treat headaches through several treatment options. According to the type of headaches you have, your treatment with chiropractic procedures may include any of the following…
#1 Spinal Manipulation
Spinal manipulations can be applied to reduce the pressure felt on joints, improve the flow of blood, loosen tensions in the muscle(s) and realign the spine. Your chiropractor can treat you by using activators or the hands-on method to apply forceful and quick pressure to your spinal column. If your headache is triggered by nerve irritations that happen with cluster and migraine sufferers, spinal manipulations are very helpful. They will reduce pain, headache frequencies and pressure on the nerves.
#2 Spinal Mobilization
Spinal mobilization is a gentle procedure that is similar to spinal manipulation. It involves hands-on pressure that helps to stretch your spinal column, ease tension and improve the functions of your joint(s). This method will loosen the tension occurring in the muscles between the columns of the spine. It can treat all tensed muscles, no matter the headache type and it is often very effective.
#3 Massage
While it feels odd to include massage in the treatment plan for chronic headaches, it is one of the best approaches that can be used to loosen tight muscles, and it can help you improve your range of motion. Massage also decreases headache frequencies and improves the flow of blood. If you get regular massages, they can generally relieve stress!
#4 Flexion-Distraction Therapy
This therapy can be conducted on tables with segments, which move and drop while the chiropractor performs gentle spinal manipulations on your spinal column. This therapy can improve the range of flexibility in your neck, back and head region, while also decreasing the stiffness of the head and minimizing the number of times you experience headaches every month.
Summary:
To treat chronic headaches, chiropractic care methods are natural processes that have proven to be both effective and permanent treatments. Spinal manipulations, flexion-distraction therapy, general massage and spinal mobilization are useful therapies that can bring you long-lasting relief, and improve your neck flexibility and motion. Got headaches? See a chiropractor; Schedule an appointment by calling Champion Wellness Centers of Valrico, Florida, at 813-409-3304.