Tension Headaches And Neck Pain: Why A Chiropractor Can Help

How many of us would ever consider going to a chiropractor for treatment if we were suffering from regular deep-throbbing headaches? I can tell you, not many. And before I became a chiropractic nurse, I would have included myself in that group.

There are two main reasons for an avoidance attitude towards chiropractors:

• First, as a society it is not customary to associate chiropractors with anything other than musculoskeletal problems of the lower back. In fact, it is surprising that many persons are not aware of what chiropractors do. Fewer persons know that a chiropractic physician’s core skills and training are based on the scientific fact that the central nervous system (CNS) controls the function of every cell of the body.

• Second, unless you are the type who is more amenable to alternative methods such as reflexology or relaxation therapy to ease pain, then the more natural inclination is to turn to pharmaceutical aids for quick relief.

When you analyze these reasons, you will find that the lack of education about chiropractic care eliminates it as a possible option to your health concern. If you further juxtapose that point against the fact that a lot of information exists about the adverse side effects of pharmaceutical drugs, yet it is still the first choice for pain management.

What is particularly concerning is how prevalent and disruptive headaches can be. Many persons silently suffer from episodic attacks. Over 90% of headaches are the result of tension-type headaches and cervicogenic (disorder originating from the neck) headaches. They are the most common non-migraine categories to significantly impact the basic functioning of individuals.

Research that Supports Cervical Spinal Manipulation (Spinal Adjustment)

Clinical studies have shown that cervical spinal manipulation, a neck treatment performed by chiropractors have been associated with headache improvements. Spinal manipulation or spinal adjustments reduced headache severity among trial patients especially, those with cervicogenic headaches.

In the clinical trial, 82% of patients who were given pharmaceutical drugs experienced adverse side effects while 4% of patients on spinal adjustment treatment only felt minor discomfort. In addition, the return to frequent headaches in the group given pharmaceutical drugs occurred shortly after the end of the trial. This response contrasts significantly with the sustained headache reduction achieved in individuals after spinal treatment.

The controlled trials were conducted by Duke University Evidence-based Practice Centre in North Carolina.

Several evidence based clinical trials exist that show favorable results for spinal adjustments. None, however, parallels the actual testimonials that flow freely from patients’ lips as they share good news of sustainable pain relief. This I see often in the practice.

How Does A Chiropractor Cure Headaches?

What exactly does a chiropractor do to relieve tension and cervicogenic headaches? They perform spinal adjustments. This is an approach used to detect, reduce, and help prevent nervous system dysfunctions. Essentially, an adjustment involves locating and directionally moving that part of the vertebrae that is out-of-position, called a subluxation. The spinal column has spiny protuberances which are optimized as levers to directionally restore an abnormal alignment or fixated spinal joint.

For headaches that originate in the neck, your chiropractor will first palpate the problem area using finger tips and may adjust only one area of the spine. Other times the entire spine will receive attention depending on assessment. There are many ways of using careful directional thrusts or pulls to separate and correct a misalignment.

Correcting a misaligned vertebra literally takes seconds to perform with some patients experiencing immediate relief.

Why Are Tension-type and Cervicogenic Headaches so Common?

Tension headaches: are described as a steady ache that may last minutes or days. When this happens more than twice per week, they are considered frequent and episodic headaches, more than that and they are considered chronic.

Tension headaches are usually the result of emotional stress, chemical/hormonal imbalances, and poor sleeping patterns.

Cervicogenic headaches: originate from a disorder of the neck, described as referred pain in the head. Nerve roots located at cervical spine 1, 2 and 3 [C1-3] by the upper- most part of the neck are sources of cervicogenic headaches.

Known culprits are repetitive motions, poor posture, physical trauma, and abnormal curvature of the neck [scoliosis for example].

As you can see many everyday activities can cause these spinal bones to lose their normal position causing dysfunctions and subluxations commonly seen in headaches.

Who Benefits from Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic care, however, does not work for everyone. Some persons may find that their recovery takes several months or longer while others may have an underlying disease process not practical for chiropractic intervention. Just as with all natural applications, prevention is the cornerstone of attaining optimal health and wellbeing.

If you are tired of taking analgesics and other over-the-counter drugs or worse, experience rebound effects from having taken too many, then consider consulting a licensed chiropractor.

Chiropractic approach to healthcare focuses on clients’ overall health and is a non-invasive treatment that complies with the body’s genetic, recuperative tendencies toward healing.

In summary, there needs to be further awareness among individuals that allows them to seek viable healthcare options for effective relief of common headaches. Our limited knowledge of natural alternative methods is a compromise on our health and places us at a disadvantage. Although we appreciate the strides made in the medical field and fully embrace it, it is still one that has inherent flaws.

If both scientific disciplines could dismantle the barriers preventing a workable complementary approach our society would stand to benefit from a higher form of health care. Currently, more chiropractic research needs to be done that directly compares chiropractic adjustments with established pharmacological therapies.