Managing Headaches with Corrective Chiropractic Care

Headaches are one of the main reasons people seek chiropractic care and medical intervention. The American Council on Headache Education reports there are over 45 million people who suffer from headaches. Headaches can range from a nagging inconvenience to a debilitating condition. Having the proper treatment regimen in place to address your head pain will provide minimal down time.

Risk Factors Correlated with Headaches

Here are some common triggers of a headache:

• Physical causes – excessive fatigue or inadequate sleep, bad posture, tension in the neck or shoulders, physical over-exertion, trauma to the neck or head, low blood sugar, and even experiencing jet lag
• Hormonal changes – many women experience migraine symptoms when around menstruation with the change in hormone levels
• Environmental triggers – temperature and climate changes, bright lights, flickering screens, stuffy rooms, loud noises, strong smells, and second-hand smoke
• Medication triggers – pharmaceuticals such as sleeping pills, hormone replacement therapy medications, and sometimes contraceptives
• Emotional triggers – stress, excitement, depression, shock, or anxiety can be a trigger for headaches

Traditional Headache Management

With traditional medical intervention, typically pain medications are the first recommendation. Occasionally, lifestyle and dietary changes will be recommended. Unfortunately, without a provider with an in-depth understanding of what is the underlying source of your headaches, the treatment will never provide long-term relief.

The recommendations and lifestyle adjustments will vary from patient to patient. One of the most common headache triggers, for example, is tension around the shoulders and neck. With tension headaches, there is no one catch-all treatment. Intervention could include extensive education on proper posture and ergonomics, recommended exercises, dietary recommendations or weight management, or a proper spinal rehabilitation program individualized to you.

Why Corrective Chiropractic Care can be the Difference

One of the primary causative factors of a headache is the function of the nervous system (aka the brain and spinal cord). When abnormal spinal alignment is observed on x-ray and visualized through poor posture, dysfunction occurs. Neural tissues are then stretched and pulled leading to inflammation, tight and tense muscles, and possible autonomic dysfunction. When nerves become compromised, this can lead to maladaptive pain receptors in the head and neck that produce a headache.

Without a trained eye, abnormal spinal alignment seen on x-ray can easily be over looked. Even with a trained eye, not having the proper treatment interventions still cannot address the underlying issue. Chiropractic BioPhysics (CBP) is a results-oriented, research-backed approach for treating spine misalignment holistically and non-invasively. The entire team at Optimal Spine & Posture in Boise, ID can help you address these issues head on (no pun intended).

When common issues like poor posture, trauma and lifestyle choices are affecting your quality of life because of headaches, the first step is re-establishing proper spine alignment and nerve function. This decreases the sympathetic nervous system response and allows the brain and spinal cord to better modulate neural signals it is sending and receiving from the head and neck. In addition, better spine alignment will minimize the direct force and load to the head and neck as well.

There is an abundance of potential for better quality of life when the spine is in proper alignment. It can potentially resolve your issues with headaches while restoring overall vitality to the body for all major functions. Come talk with a CBP practitioner today at Optimal Spine & Posture!