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Headaches
At Pure Chiropractic, we take treating headaches very seriously. Drs. Chris and Krystal Hohn understand how debilitating severe headaches can be, and that this can be a common reason for time off work.
According to Chiro Access, headaches are one of the most common conditions seen at chiropractic offices. We all know that a headache is pain felt deep within your skull, but there is a lot of evidence linking headaches to being caused by neck (cervical) issues. Remember a headache is not just a headache, it is your body’s way of warning you that something isn’t right. There are many causes, but at Pure Chiropractic we can get to the root your problem.
- Cervicogenic headaches (CGH) - neck problems causing referred pain (P.Page 2011). The pain is worse at the base of your skull, and spreads to your forehead, temples, eyes, face and shoulder. The pain is usually on one side and is moderate or severe. This can cause sensitivity to noise, light and nausea.
- Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD) - a relatively common musculoskeletal disorder which affects your jaw movement, but also causes referred head pain and involves myofascial pain. According to P.Page (2011) up to 44% of CGH patients also have temporomandibular joint issues.
- Tension headache - muscular in origin from neck issues (P.Page 2011). A band of pain across the top front or sides of your head. The pain begins gradually, and may last for several days. According to WebMD some people suffer chronic tension headaches, which occur for more than 15 days in the month. This affects your wellbeing, sleep and concentration. It also causes some light and noise sensitivity and general muscle aches.
- Migraine headaches - spasm and over-dilation of arteries in your brain, which causes a recurrent throbbing headache on the same side of your head. This is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and photophobia. There may be a preceding aura involving visual disturbances, or weakness and numbness of the limbs (Oxford Minidictionary for nurses). Migraines are debilitating and involve sensations of feeling hot and cold.
- Cluster headaches - intense burning or piercing pain behind one eye which doesn’t change sides. This headache can occur at the same time of day or can disturb your sleep. It may last up to 90 minutes, but many sufferers experience up to three cluster headaches a day.
- Sinus headache - affects the cheekbones bridge of your nose and forehead. According to WebMD the pain feels worse upon movement. Nasal discharge, a fullness feeling in your ears or facial swelling are suffered.
At Pure Chiropractic, we take treating headaches very seriously. Drs. Chris and Krystal Hohn understand how debilitating severe headaches can be, and that this can be a common reason for time off work.
According to Chiro Access, headaches are one of the most common conditions seen at chiropractic offices. We all know that a headache is pain felt deep within your skull, but there is a lot of evidence linking headaches to being caused by neck (cervical) issues. Remember a headache is not just a headache, it is your body’s way of warning you that something isn’t right. There are many causes, but at Pure Chiropractic we can get to the root your problem.
- Cervicogenic headaches (CGH) - neck problems causing referred pain (P.Page 2011). The pain is worse at the base of your skull, and spreads to your forehead, temples, eyes, face and shoulder. The pain is usually on one side and is moderate or severe. This can cause sensitivity to noise, light and nausea.
- Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD) - a relatively common musculoskeletal disorder which affects your jaw movement, but also causes referred head pain and involves myofascial pain. According to P.Page (2011) up to 44% of CGH patients also have temporomandibular joint issues.
- Tension headache - muscular in origin from neck issues (P.Page 2011). A band of pain across the top front or sides of your head. The pain begins gradually, and may last for several days. According to WebMD some people suffer chronic tension headaches, which occur for more than 15 days in the month. This affects your wellbeing, sleep and concentration. It also causes some light and noise sensitivity and general muscle aches.
- Migraine headaches - spasm and over-dilation of arteries in your brain, which causes a recurrent throbbing headache on the same side of your head. This is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and photophobia. There may be a preceding aura involving visual disturbances, or weakness and numbness of the limbs (Oxford Minidictionary for nurses). Migraines are debilitating and involve sensations of feeling hot and cold.
- Cluster headaches - intense burning or piercing pain behind one eye which doesn’t change sides. This headache can occur at the same time of day or can disturb your sleep. It may last up to 90 minutes, but many sufferers experience up to three cluster headaches a day.
- Sinus headache - affects the cheekbones bridge of your nose and forehead. According to WebMD the pain feels worse upon movement. Nasal discharge, a fullness feeling in your ears or facial swelling are suffered.
How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help with Headaches
Get to the source of your problem with Drs. Chris or Krystal Hohn, rather than just masking it with painkillers. Headaches do not have to be part of your everyday life. Headaches caused by inflammation, be it muscular or cervical spine in origin, are commonly treated with an evidence based approach at Pure Chiropractic for a sustained benefit.
There is a complex relationship between muscles and neck vertebrae, which need to adequately support your head. Drs Chris and Krystal Hohn undertake a neuromuscular skeletal assessment to understand the root of your headaches, and differentiate between CGH and non CGH headaches. Neck adjustments aim to improve both your headaches and your neck pain and stiffness.
There is a wealth of evidence showing the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment for different types of headaches.
- CGH are caused by referred nerve pain. Most are caused by tension in the myofascial structures of your head and neck. (Homola 2016). Myofascial trigger point pain may be implicated with headaches on their symptomatic side of head (L. Perry 2013 and P.Page 2011).
- Hass et al (2010) studied spinal manipulation for CGH over 16 Chiropractor visits, which achieved 50% reduction in symptoms at 14 and 24 weeks. R. Bryans (2011) found that chiropractic care and manipulation improves CGH headache.
- Chiropractic treatment of TMJ joints relieves tension in the muscles around the joints using trigger point therapy (Dr J.Heins 2009).
- For tension headaches RF Castien (2011) studied chronic sufferers and found manual treatment more effective than general practitioner advice, and found a significantly reduction of headache frequency, after 8 weeks.
- According to the American Chiropractic Association, Chiropractic care can be effective for tension headaches and headaches originating from your neck. At Pure Chiropractic we know that spinal adjustments or correcting vertebral subluxations can help both migraines and headaches. Chiropractic treatment can decrease the intensity and frequency of migraines (Canadian Chiropractic Association).
At Pure Chiropractic, we can enable better nerve supply, muscle function and blood supply to your head, so that everything works together with greater efficiency e.g. for Cluster headaches. Correcting misalignment between the spine and nervous system can have long lasting benefits.
According to A. Stark, even sinus headaches can respond to nasal-specific chiropractic adjustment. According to the Chiro Trust this would provide symptomatic relief and facilitate better sinus drainage.
Musculoskeletal dysfunction of the cervical spine easily occurs and is likely to be relevant to many people’s headaches. It may have various treatable causes.
- Headaches which occur a while after a concussion may suggest cervical origins (P.Page 2011).
- CGH may occur after lower cervical spine injury and herniating disk.
- Cervical osteoarthritis
- Cervical muscle dysfunction and imbalance. Upper cervical irritation and asymmetry as a root of pain affecting nerve roots (Chirotrust 2014).
- Whiplash injury leading to chronic headaches, was documented back in 1947 by Ruth Jackson MD.
- Headaches are aggravated by forward head posture e.g. when sat at a computer desk or repeating the same physical task. Neck pain and stiffness can go hand-in hand with the headache. (WebMD)
What are the Benefits of Chiropractic Treatment?
- Homola (2016) states that Chiropractic adjustments undertaken on the neck and upper back would be beneficial in relieving muscle tension which triggers headaches. This has neurophysiological effects in relieving head and neck pain as well as restoring mobility in the neck joints.
- Improved TMJ function and associated head pain. TMJD has similarities between other treatable musculoskeletal disorders elsewhere in the body (E. Wright 2009).
- Improved posture to prevent future neck strain.
- Patients can regain full range of neck motion and treat muscle spasm (American Chiropractic Association)
- Improved spinal alignment.
- To get your Nervous system, Circulatory system and Musculoskeletal system in optimum condition. This goes beyond simply treating headaches.
Fewer future headaches through headache prevention advice (American Chiropractic Association). - Improve immunity to get you through winter colds or from sinus infection. Cervical Adjustments relieve tension on your brain stem and improve nervous system functioning (CureJoy Editorial 2015)
How Pure Chiropractic Can Help
Drs. Chris and Krystal Hohn are passionate about helping you gain improvement from your debilitating headaches. We will help you understand the nature of your headaches, so that you can heal.
There is accumulating evidence showing the effectiveness adjustments have for headaches, and once your headaches are significantly reduced or eliminated, you will make a significant step towards wellness, and gain an improved sense of health and wellbeing.