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If you have a headache, you’re not alone. Nine out of ten Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea.

Many headaches can be related to auto injuries, sinus difficulties, or any other neck-related symptom. While there are other causes of headaches, these are the types of headaches that chiropractic works best with. The nerves of the neck, when irritated can lead to head pain that travels from the neck to the top of the skull and around the ears. Sometimes the pain can radiate into the face or eyes. These headaches can make it difficult to think clearly. Whatever the type of pain you have, a thorough chiropractic evaluation will help lead you in the right direction. If at any time we feel that your headaches are caused by something that chiropractic cannot help, you will be referred to the appropriate specialist.

Research shows that spinal manipulation – the primary form of care provided by doctors of chiropractic – may be an effective treatment option for tension headaches and headaches that originate in the neck.

A report released in 2001 by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC, found that spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originate in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headache than a commonly prescribed medication.

Also, a 1995 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches and that those who ceased chiropractic treatment after four weeks experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in contrast with those patients who received a commonly prescribed medication.

What Can You Do?
  • If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, on a sewing machine, typing or reading, take a break and stretch every 30 minutes to one hour. The stretches should take your head and neck through a comfortable range of motion.
  • Low-impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise. Engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobics.
  • Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth should never touch the lowers, except when swallowing. This results in stress at the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) – the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull – leading to TMJ irritation and a form of tension headaches.
  • Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day to help avoid dehydration, which can lead to headaches.

What Can We do?
 As doctors of chiropractic we may do one or more of the following if you suffer from a primary headache:
  • Perform spinal manipulation or chiropractic adjustments to improve spinal function and alleviate the stress on your system.
  • Provide nutritional advice, recommending a change in diet and perhaps the addition of B complex vitamins.
  • Offer advice on posture, ergonomics (work postures), exercises and relaxation techniques. This advice should help to relieve the recurring joint irritation and tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back.

 “Doctors of chiropractic undergo extensive training to help their patients in many ways – not just back pain,” says Dr. McClelland. “They know how tension in the spine relates to problems in other parts of the body, and they can take steps to relieve those problems.”
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Thousands of people in the United States suffer with headaches and many do not realize there are different types of headaches that are a reaction to a variety of causes. One of the major tenants of Chiropractic is to find the cause of the problem instead of chasing symptoms. Although Migraine headaches are truly caused by changes in the flow of blood in the brain, many people refer to any headache that is severe enough to negatively affect their day a “migraine”. Many of these cases are people who have headaches on a regular basis, and for whatever reason, they slowly get worse over time. This usually results in increases in medication dosage, prescription of more dangerous drugs with more side-effects and decreases in quality of life. The research paper being reviewed stated “The estimated costs of migraines in the United States is over $17 billion per annum”.1 (p 91)

This research study that was published in 2000 was titled “A randomize controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine”. This was designed “To assess the efficacy of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy in the treatment of migraine”.1 (p 91). This study followed others that had delivered similar results.

The authors state “However, the level of evidence is steadily increasing to the point where there is now seen to be a moderate level of efficacy for Chiropractic SMT (Spinal Manipulative Therapy/ AKA Chiropractic Adjustment) in the treatment of headaches or migraines”1 (p95). The paper also reported “The mean number of migraines per month was reduced from 7.6 to 4.1 episodes. The greatest area of improvement was medication use, for which participants were asked to note the use of medication for each episode. A significant number of participants recorded that their medication use had reduced to zero by the end of the 6-month trial”.1(p95) Expressed in other terms, 72% of participants reported significant improvement!

When administered by trained Doctor of Chiropractic, adjustments to the neck are safe and effective. This study has also shown that Chiropractic care results in the reduction of medication utilization, some of which have significant long term side-effects having a profound effect on your long term health. Chiropractic chooses to use a safe and scientifically effective approach to the management of migraine headaches and if you are suffering, Chiropractic care is just what the doctor ordered!

1. Tuchin PJ; Pollar H; Bonello R. A randomize controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 23(2): 91-5, 2000.

Article written by, William J. Owens DC, DAAMLP and Mark Studin DC, FASBE (C), DAAPM, DAAMLP
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