Many people frequently suffer from headaches on a daily basis – feeling it is “normal.” In fact, when they come in for treatment, they may not even bring it up. Only after asking if they have headaches do they then discuss it, acting as if everyone has headaches.
Others are completely debilitated and cannot go to work, drive a car, or even leave the house due to the intense pain and pressure, as if their head might explode.
I always take a thorough health and family history from my patients because they frequently give me important clues to the cause of their headaches.
For example, if a patient indicates she has had headaches – for as long as she could remember – and her mother suffered from debilitating headaches because part of her brain stem extended down into the upper part of the neck, this would prompt an MRI of the patient, which could reveal a similar finding.
Another patient complained of headaches that occur only one week prior to menstruation. Treatment in this instance included several nutritional vitamin/herbal approaches aimed at reducing fluid retention or build up that frequently occurs pre-menses.
Other causes of headaches have included traumas from car accidents, slips and falls, sports injuries, and other activity related causes. In these cases, examination may lead to a diagnosis of abnormal biomechanics in the cervical spine and chiropractic treatment addressing these findings may prove very satisfying.
Other causes may include stress and/or psychological conditions that required co-management with mental health practitioners and/or their primary care physicians.
In general, the cause of headaches are usually multi-factorial and therefore, the most effective treatment is a multi-dimensional approach in which chiropractic treatment methods are, in most cases, the most important contribution to the successful management of headaches.
Chiropractic treatment approaches include spinal manipulation, mobilization, muscle release techniques such as trigger point therapy, longitudinal and/or transverse friction massage, massage therapy, manual and/or instrumental traction both at home and office, physical therapy modalities including ice/heat, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, light/low level laser therapy, diet and nutritional counseling, and stress management as well as acupuncture.
Cervicogenic headache is the term used to describe a headache that has its cause in the neck region. It used to be thought headaches were caused by something in the head itself, but researchers have now learned that neck injuries can produce head pain.
A study showed that about 4 percent of the population will have this type of headache. Taking medications to cover the pain will not ultimately correct a mechanical neck problem.
The symptoms of a cervicogenic headache are one-sided head pain and same side shoulder and arm pain. Patients also have limited mobility of the neck region. In rare cases, a patient may also have a migraine trait such as nausea, vomiting, or throbbing sensations. Because these are signs of a typical migraine headache, a physician may have overlooked the neck as a potential source for the cause of your head pain.
Self-diagnosing your headache can be even worse since potentially serious causes of your head pain, such as high blood pressure, may go undiscovered and left untreated.
Another study looked at causes of cervicogenic headaches, specifically whiplash injuries of the neck. In this study, 587 whiplash patients were followed over a six-year period. About 8 percent of them developed a cervicogenic headache six weeks after the initial trauma. Thirty-five percent of these patients were still suffering six years later.
Our clinic specializes in the treatment of spine-caused head pain, especially cervicogenic headache. To determine this we have to perform a comprehensive examination of your spine to see if sprains of your cervical or thoracic joints are present and review whether you have suffered a trauma in years past that could have affected the posture and mobility of these delicate spinal structures.
For patients who do not want to go down the road of medications for treating their head pain, chiropractic care can be a more healthful option.
The founder and owner of Bayside Chiropractic located at 210-08 Northern Boulevard, in Bayside. Dr. Vilan graduated magna cum laude from NY Chiropractic College with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree and has been in private practice since 1995. She is board certified in pediatric chiropractics specializing in the care of pregnant women and children.
