Treating Headaches With Chiropractic Care

No matter when you get them or how severe they are, headaches are frustrating to manage. They can come out of nowhere and disrupt your daily routines until they go away. Not only is the actual pain distracting, but a headache can completely diminish your motivation for the day and put you in a negative mood. 

Headaches are one of the most common medical issues to experience. Headache disorders affect more than 3 billion people around the world, which adds up to approximately 40% of the global population.  

With an issue as common as headaches, it’s always a good idea to test out different treatment options to see what provides the most effective relief. While many people turn to pain medications, a natural relief option like chiropractic care is a holistic approach that provides long-term benefits. 

Types of Headaches We Commonly Treat 

There are a variety of headache types that you may experience. The type of headache that you’re experiencing often comes down to where it originated and what has caused it. By understanding the types of headaches that you’re prone to, you can collaborate with your chiropractor to make sure the treatment is as targeted to the right area as possible. 

Here are the four types of headaches we treat with chiropractic care: 

  • Tension headaches — The most common type of headache, a tension headache is described as mild to moderate persistent pain that’s felt around the head. 

  • Migraines — A migraine causes severe throbbing pain that’s felt on just one side of the head. It may also cause other symptoms, including nausea and light sensitivity. 

  • Cervicogenic headaches — With a cervicogenic headache, the pain starts in the neck, or the cervical spine. It spreads up to the skull and worsens with movements. 

  • Stress-related headaches — Stress can cause many physical symptoms, and headaches are one of them. A stress-related headache tends to cause a dull or throbbing ache on both sides of the head. 

Common Causes of Headaches 

It may seem like headaches are unpredictable; however, there are many potential causes that can explain them. Some of these risk factors are specific to particular types of headaches.  

  • Poor posture and neck alignment — If your shoulders are hunched or your neck isn’t aligned with the rest of your body, you’re putting excessive pressure on your neck and upper back muscles that can cause headaches.  

  • Muscle tension — Having tight or stiff muscles in your neck or scalp can lead to tight muscles. Muscle tension in these areas often stems from clenching your jaw or staring too long at a device. 

  • Spinal misalignment — When your spinal vertebrae aren’t aligned properly due to trauma, repetitive movements or sitting for long periods, there’s pressure placed on the nerves around the back of your head, which can cause cervicogenic headaches. 

  • Stress and anxiety — Headaches are a common symptom of overwhelming stress and anxiety. This is often due to your muscles tightening up as a “fight-or-flight” response, leading to painful tension. Being stressed can also cause you to unconsciously clench your jaw, which puts excessive pressure on the surrounding muscles. 

  • Environmental factors — It’s possible that your nerves can become sensitive when your senses are overwhelmed by loud environments, bright lights, or strong smells, such as smoke. Weather changes are also linked to headaches due to changes in pressure and brain chemical imbalances. 

  • Diet and dehydration — What you eat and drink can play a significant role in developing headaches. Eating foods high in sugar, eating irregularly or skipping meals completely can lead to drastic changes in blood sugar. If you don’t drink enough water, your brain’s nerve receptors become sensitive to pain as the brain tissue slightly shrinks away from the skull. 

How Chiropractic Care Helps With Headaches 

 Since your headaches are the result of how the nerves in your brain send pain signals to each other, headache disorders stem from the nervous system. Your spinal cord is an essential part of the nervous system, as it’s where messages are sent to the brain for proper functioning. By addressing issues with your spinal health, such as alignment, you can reduce the frequency and severity of your headache symptoms.  

With chiropractic treatment, like soft tissue manipulation and gentle spinal adjustments, a chiropractor can help you reduce your headaches by: 

  • Providing natural pain relief 

  • Alleviating muscle tension that’s causing headaches 

  • Increasing relaxation to reduce stress-related headaches 

  • Improving posture with spinal alignments 

You’ll also learn exercise recommendations and stress management techniques, as well as preventive measures to improve your overall spinal health for long-term benefits.  

Our Treatment Approach for Headaches 

At Jireh Chiropractic, we make sure that you receive comprehensive, holistic care for your headaches while still focusing on whole-body wellness. One of the main reasons why our chiropractic care is such an effective option for headache relief is because it addresses the root causes rather than just symptoms. 

In your first visit with us, we make sure that we learn as much as we can about your challenges, chiropractic goals and overall health. It’ll include: 

  • Medical history discussion 

  • Assessment of symptoms 

  • Posture analysis 

  • Orthopedic tests 

  • Full spinal analysis 

At Jireh Chiropractic, you’ll receive gentle, effective treatments with ongoing support in a comfortable environment. With our compassionate, personalized care, we’ll help guide you along your health and wellness journey. 

Click to schedule an appointment with us to start treating your headaches today. If you have any questions, you can take a look at our FAQs page.