Headaches

Headaches and migraines can be incredibly debilitating. Only those who have suffered from these conditions know how bad they can be. Often, the only thing to do when a migraine strike is to lock yourself in a dark, quiet room and try to sleep it off. For this reason, migraines significantly affect many daily activities.

How do migraines occur?

Migraines present as pain on one side or both sides of the head, throbbing or pulsating sensations, visual disturbances, sensitivity to light (photophobia), sensitivity to sound (phonophobia), nausea and vomiting, dizziness and fatigue.

Migraines should be taken seriously. There are possible underlying diseases or pathologies that should be ruled out first. At Chiropractic Center Nicolas FREY DC, this is our number 1 priority with migraines, so we perform a thorough history and examination.

What is the most common cause of headaches?

Tension headaches are very common in people who spend a lot of time sitting, especially those who work at a computer. The pain usually starts in the neck or at the base of the skull and moves to the front of the head. Many people who claim to have tension headaches say they can feel them. These headaches may be the result of previous trauma to the neck, such as whiplash, or repetitive poor posture. In either case, headaches are often closely related to the cervical spine (neck). Hence the term cervicogenic headaches.

Once any underlying disease or problem has been ruled out, the most common cause of migraines and tension headaches is mechanical in nature, as there are many possible causes, it is essential to know what we are dealing with. This means that the joints of the spine do not move as freely as they are designed to, particularly the joints in the neck (cervical spine). This causes pain locally, can contribute to degeneration of the spine, muscle spasms, disc formation and irritation of the nerves around the neck. The added pressure around the neck due to these postural changes, can cause tension and pressure on the nerves in the head, resulting in debilitating pain.

Common causes:

Poor posture (head forward of shoulders).
Prolonged sitting positions
Dehydration
Trauma or accidents
Stress
Cervical spine dysfunction
Underlying disease or pathology (rare)

How can chiropractic help?

There can be many factors in what is causing your headaches, some more serious than others, so it is essential that we provide an accurate diagnosis.

During this examination process, we will perform a series of orthopaedic, neurological and musculoskeletal tests to find out what the problem is. Once we have all this information, we will inform you of our findings.

At this stage, we may refer you for an x-ray.

From here we will create a personalised treatment plan, designed to help you recover naturally. Our treatment approach will include spinal adjustments, body joint adjustments, muscle work, as well as prescribing rehabilitation exercises and stretching.

We will also take into account lifestyle factors, such as stress and ergonomics, which may have contributed to your condition, to provide you with a comprehensive treatment.