Chiropractic and Headaches

Headaches

Sooner or later all of us will get a headaches, as it is the most common pain known to humanity. For more than 20% of the population headaches are chronic or recurrent. There are over 20 varieties of headache, and they can all have different causes.

Headaches may be caused by noxious chemicals, bright lights, sinus trouble, eye problems, high blood pressure, diseased teeth, ear problems, vision problems, fever, infection, brain tumors, epileptic seizures, carbon monoxide, alcohol consumption, drug side effects, and most commonly post traumatic headaches caused by accidents.

The arteries in the brain and skull; the veins; the dura mater, tissue, covering the brain and certain nerves in the head called cranial nerves are the culprits of the headache

The Migraine Syndrome

Six to eight percent of the population suffers from the migraine syndrome headache. In this syndrome the symptoms occur before the headache begins. Dizziness, visual problems, red eyes, swelling of the eyes, tearing, muscle contraction, nausea, vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea are all migraine syndrome symptoms. Migraine pain is most commonly felt in the temples but can be located in the head face or neck and last a few minutes or a few days and be mild or sever agony.

The Cluster Headache

Cluster headaches come on suddenly, are throbbing and spread from the nostril to the side of the face. They may occur from one time to several times a day in clusters lasting weeks or months. It subsides as quickly as it began.

Treatment

Treatment for headaches will depend on what has caused the headache. Headaches due to visual problems may be treated with eyeglasses. Headaches caused by sinus infection may be relieved by getting the infection under control.

Painkillers usually treat the most common headache, the migraine. Aspirin, codeine, ergotamine tartrate, phenelzine sulfate and methysergide are among the most used drug treatments, however with the narcotic drug treatment there is a high risk of addiction.

The Chiropractic Approach

Chiropractic is not a headache therapy or treatment, however research shows that there is a relationship between the spinal column and headaches, in a study of 600 patients who suffered from headaches for 2 to 25 years showed than spinal column injury was the most prevalent factor in the headaches.

Chiropractic professionals are the only trained healing professionals in how to analyze and correct spinal nerve stress called vertebral subluxations. Vertebral subluxation weakens the body, lowers vitality and gives way to disease and illness that would have normally been kept at bay by a healthy spine. In 100 cases of headache sufferers, research showed improvement in headache symptoms when cervical (neck) adjustments were performed by a chiropractor.

Instead of swallowing painkillers, and masking symptoms, a chiropractic examination should be performed to determine if vertebral subluxations are related to your headache, and if chiropractic treatment will be helpful in reducing symptoms