What kind of headaches can chiropractors help?

Table of Contents Show

What are the most common causes of headaches?
Chiropractic Care for Treatment of Headaches
Do chiropractors fix headaches?
How long does it take for chiropractor to fix headaches?
Can a chiropractor get rid of tension headaches?
Can being out of alignment cause headaches?

Headaches affect hundreds of Australians from all ages and all walks of life each and every day.

How common are headaches? One Melbourne study involving 1717 individuals from 773 households found that 87% of subjects had experienced headache in the last year1.

The World Health organisation stated that, “up to 1 adult in 20 has a headache every – or nearly every – day”2.

DISCOVER IF CHIROPRACTIC CAN STOP YOUR HEADACHES

What are the most common causes of headaches?

The most prevalent types of headaches include tension headaches, cervicogenic (neck) headaches, migraines and sinus headaches.

Cervicogenic headaches, which are the ones most seen at our clinic, are related to joint issues in the neck and are often linked back to problems such as poor posture, trauma or stress. Thankfully many of these headaches can be helped with a specific treatment program that reduces or removes the underlying cause. A detailed breakdown of headache types is contained in our headache guide.

Tension headaches: Tension headaches seem to be the most prevalent of all. some of the common triggers for these headaches are fatigue, poor posture, spinal problems, emotional stresses medication overuse.

Vertebrogenic (Neck)

headaches: These are another common form of headache which originate from the neck. Some of the common causes are Whiplash, poor posture or physical stresses. off. This type of headache responds well to chiropractic care.

Migraines: These headaches are vascular in origin. The most typical symptoms of migraines include throbbing pain, nausea or vomiting and even sensitivity to sound or light. Genetic predisposition is believed to be a contributing factor in migraines however the exact cause of migraines is still unknown.

There are a broad range of known triggers for migraines. They include irregular sleeping or eating patterns, flashing lights, hormone fluctuations, loud noises, stress and tiredness. In some people there may be a need for more than one trigger to be present for a migraine to occur.

While spinal problems are not believed to be a major cause of a migraine attack, clinically we find that when some migraine patients improve their spinal function, diet and general health they comment of a reduction in the frequency and/or duration of their migraines. Further scientific research is needed to find the exact cause and effective treatment of migraines.

Sinus headaches: These can usually be linked to an infection, inflammation or blockage of the sinuses. It is always better to treat the cause rather than to ease the symptoms.

If you do suffer from headaches, we recommend you arrange an appointment as soon as possible to find out if chiropractic could help you.

DISCOVER IF CHIROPRACTIC CAN STOP YOUR HEADACHES

Chiropractic Care for Treatment of Headaches

Research shows that spinal manipulation – one of the primary treatments provided by doctors of chiropractic – may be an effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck. A 2014 report in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) found that interventions commonly used in chiropractic care improved outcomes for the treatment of acute and chronic neck pain 3. Also, a 2011 JMPT study found that chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation, may improve symptoms related to migraine and cervicogenic headaches4. Studies such as these are by no means conclusive and more research is needed to fully understand how successful chiropractic treatment is for the treatment of headaches.

When you visit our dedicated chiropractors we will perform a thorough examination to try and find the cause of your headache, If we believe we can help you we will focus on specific chiropractic adjustments to restore motion in your spine and specific exercises to strengthen the related muscles.

References

1. Prevalence of headache and migraine in an Australian city- J. Heywood, T. Colgan, and C. Coffey- Journal of Clinical Neuroscience (1998) 5(4), 485.

2. World Health Organization. 2016. Headache disorders. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders.

3. Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, et al. Evidence based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with neck pain. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2014; 37: 42-63.

4. Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, et al. Evidence based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2011; 34: 274-89.

5. Reduction of Current Migraine Headache Pain Following Neck Massage and Spinal Manipulation

Do chiropractors fix headaches?

Chiropractic adjustment can improve acute and chronic neck pain, which can reduce the number of headaches you'll experience — whether you suffer from migraines, tension headaches, or something other kind.

How long does it take for chiropractor to fix headaches?

In younger people with very few underlying conditions and illnesses, treatment length can take anywhere from three to six weeks. In older individuals with health problems, arthritis and other underlying conditions, treatment can last a lot longer.

Can a chiropractor get rid of tension headaches?

One option may include chiropractic adjustments. Research has shown specific manual adjustments by a doctor of chiropractic are effective for treating tension headaches, especially headaches that seem to originate in the neck.

Can being out of alignment cause headaches?

Spinal misalignment is a major cause. Spinal misalignment causes headaches and migraines by irritating the nerves that travel through the spine on their way to the head and face region. The only way to know if spinal misalignment is causing your headaches or migraines is to have your spine evaluated by a chiropractor.