Headaches
Headaches are a common condition that many people experience at some point in their lives. Some people experience these on a regular basis, and they can feel like pressure or pain on or inside the head. Headaches often make it hard to think clearly and can negatively impact anything you are doing when they come on. We frequently hear patients telling us that headaches make them feel cranky or irritable, and they can lash out at coworkers, family, or friends if they are having a headache. Many office workers who sit in front of a computer report frequent headaches, sometimes even on a daily basis.
It often feels like the headaches start as a pain in the skull, neck, or upper back that travels through the head. Other headaches feel like there is a band of tightness around the skull that is especially pronounced in the temples which are usually tender to the touch. Some headaches (migraines) feel like a stabbing pain in a small, focal area of the skull, or behind the eye. People commonly report that they feel tension or pressure building in the head, and it can be made worse by stress, bright lights, electronic screens (computers, laptops, phones, tablets), or sitting for too long.
Many headaches result from abnormal joint alignment or motion of the bones of the upper neck, which can irritate the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves of the neck and head. We have observed after helping many people suffering with chronic headaches that there are other commonly overlooked areas of the body that can also contribute to headaches. Some people even suspect that their headaches are coming from their upper back or neck, which is sometimes the case.
Common causes of headaches:
- Poor posture (head in front of the shoulders)
- Excessive sitting
- Muscular weakness or imbalance
- Trigger points
- Hormone imbalance
- Dehydration
- Trauma or accidents
- Whiplash injuries
- Stress
- Dysfunction in the spine, especially the neck
- Cranial distortions
- Underlying disease or pathology (rare)
What is the most common cause of headaches?
There are many kinds of headaches classified in the medical literature. In the absence of a serious issue, which is rare, we can evaluate your complete history and perform a thorough exam to find the cause. We have found that the most common cause of headaches are mechanical issues in the neck. This means that we find that a joint, or many joints in the spine and neck are not moving normally, and this creates dysfunction and pressure in the structures of the head and neck.
How we can help:
At Alternative Space Chiropractic, we take a holistic approach with headaches. We always treat the whole body and not just the parts that hurt. For headaches, we treat the issue locally and also pay attention to the rest of the body. This is because the body compensates to take pressure off of joints and tissues that are feeling pain, so most issues will have compensations throughout the rest of the body.
We usually find that the cause of a headache is an issue in the neck, but there usually are contributing factors coming from the upper back or shoulders which also need attention. Our approach involves local and specific soft tissue work and adjustments to your spine and other areas as needed.
Our goals are to help you relieve your pain and improve the health and functioning of your body. When we work on the whole body, your main issue resolves faster and often other issues will get better too. There are many possible causes of your headaches, and we have seen many different sources.
Our Process
Our process involves a complimentary consultation which allows us to determine if we are the best fit to help you. If we are not, we will refer you to the right people. If we think that we can help you, we will proceed with a paid examination.
During the examination process, we will perform a range of orthopedic, neurological, and musculoskeletal tests in order to find the problem. Once we have the necessary information, we will tell you what we found.
After that, we will create a custom treatment plan designed to help you heal naturally. Our treatments include spinal adjustments, extremity adjustments, muscle and fascia work, posture drills, exercises, stretches, and anything else we can think of that will help you heal faster. We also consider your lifestyle and help you make modifications to prevent future issues. If X-rays are necessary, we will refer you to a radiology center nearby.
We look forward to seeing if we can help you find the cause and solution to your headaches.
