Headaches are the most common ailment reported to doctors, with nine out of ten people suffering from them at some point in their life. Headaches can be debilitating; they can strike at any moment and render a person unable to think or function normally.
Often, the response to headaches is to pop a pill, lie down, and hope for relief. Fortunately, you can take other, more reliable actions to help alleviate the pain.
Evidence shows that spinal manipulation may be a successful treatment for tension headaches, migraines, and headaches originating in the neck. Chiropractic care, including manipulation therapy, has provided relief for people with acute and chronic neck pain and those with migraine and cervicogenic headaches.
Chiropractic Care from Comber Physical Therapy can also provide relaxation and posture correction to alleviate the symptoms of headaches and migraines.
Do you suffer from chronic headaches or migraine pain? If so, call our physical therapy and chiropractic clinic in Williamsburg today and request an appointment. We’re here to help you regain control over your life and stop headaches once and for all.
Types of headaches
According to Healthline, approximately 45 million Americans frequently have severe or disabling headaches. There are several predominant types of headaches, and step one of treating your headache is identifying what type of headache you are experiencing.
A majority of headaches are attributed to cervicogenic headaches, meaning that they are related to the neck in some form. This means that having poor posture, experiencing a lot of stress, and other factors can contribute to weakness, strain, and injury to the neck muscles and joints. This pain radiates up into the scalp, side of the head, and even the forehead, depending on the area of the neck involved.
Other common types of headaches include:
- Nutrient-deficient / dehydration headaches
- Stress-related headaches
- Migraine headaches
- Thunderclap headaches
- Rebound headaches
- Sinus headache
- Post-traumatic headache
- Medication-related headache
- Tension headaches
Working with a physical therapist or chiropractor can help you to address chronic pain associated with tension, stress-related, and migraine headaches. Physical therapy for headaches will often incorporate several different treatment modalities, including a combination of massage therapy, guided stretching and muscle training, and additional therapeutic techniques, like hot and cold therapy and chiropractic adjustment.
Headaches can be identified based on how frequently they develop, the severity of the pain, and the location in the head where the pain is experienced. Physical therapy is often recommended for headaches that develop with regular frequency—at least once or twice per week.
How can a chiropractor help alleviate migraines and headaches?
A chiropractor is a healthcare professional specializing in diagnosing and treating neuromusculoskeletal disorders, emphasizing treatment through manual adjustment and/or manipulation of the spine. They are trained to use spinal manipulation therapy to restore/improve mobility, relieve pressure, and reduce pain.
Chiropractors often work as part of a healthcare team to provide advice on headache triggers, stress management, and how to help reduce headaches and migraines. At Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic, you can expect a member of our skilled staff to do the following during your appointment.
Determine the cause of your pain: A chiropractor will assess whether the complaint results from trauma, such as a car accident or fall, if it results from continuous stress and repetition, or if something more serious is a concern.
Examine your nerve function: The doctor will check reflexes, sensations, and muscle strength. Chiropractors will try to correlate the information with x-rays and positioning tests to see if specific movements reduce the pain.
Chiropractic techniques for headache pain relief
A chiropractor can perform certain therapeutic methods to relieve your headache pain. We may use the following techniques to provide you with pain relief from your chronic headaches:
Spinal manipulation: A doctor may perform spinal manipulation or bodily adjustments to lessen stress and stimulate or positively affect your spine and its surrounding tissues. All manipulation techniques aim to alleviate pain and influence your overall health and wellbeing.
Soft tissue therapy: It may be helpful to undergo soft tissue therapy, such as trigger point and/or myofascial releases.
Nutritional advice: Our team will often recommend nutritional changes or supplements to assist in your relief and improve your overall health.
Ergonomic suggestions: Your Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic chiropractor may suggest targeted stretches, modifications to the workstation, specific pain-relieving techniques, and posture corrections to reduce headaches. Understanding how to position your body in the ideal position can protect and support your body against injury and pain.
Ready to put an end to your migraines and headaches? Request an appointment today!
If you or a loved one is suffering from chronic painful headaches or migraines, it’s time to take a stand for your health and wellbeing!
Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic offers chiropractic and physical therapy services to any of our patients in need. We’re here to support you and make sure you’re up and feeling better in no time.
To learn more about our manual therapy and spinal manipulation techniques in treating headaches and pain, call today and request an appointment!
Sources:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2164956119835778
https://www.jac-chiro.org/pdf/WHOguidelinE.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3716373/
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/spinal-manipulation-what-you-need-to-know
https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/handle/10453/140950
Tags: natural pain relief, Chiropractic Care, Chiropractor, Migraines, Headaches and Migraines, physical therapy, Headache Relief, physical therapist, Migraines Relief, Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic, Headaches, natural treatment
