Headaches

Headaches are the most common reason for doctor’s visits in the United States. When a person gets a headache, it is a warning sign that something is off within the body. Most often, a headache can be attributed to muscle tension and nerve and blood irritation in the neck or simple dehydration. Cervical vertebrae can misalign from poor posture, trauma or repetitive movement. Then, this misalignment aggravates nerve roots in the neck and can cause minor constriction in some vessels that supply blood to the brain.

The two most common types of headaches are called migraine and tension headaches. Both can be very intense, but have some differences. A tension headache is often described as mild to moderate pain on both sides of the head, often in the temples, forehead or base of skull. The pain is achy and triggers include lack of sleep, poor posture, stress and eye strain.

A migraine is characterized as intense, throbbing pain on just one side of the head. A few other symptoms that may come along with a migraine include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of appetite, visual disturbances like spots of flashing light that may leave the body feeling numb and fatigued. Triggers include low blood sugar, lack of sleep, alcohol consumption, strong smells and stress. People often miss work when they suffer from a migraine.

A big contributor to headaches and migraines is physical trauma- car accidents among the worst. If you have been involved in some sort of motor vehicle accident, it is very common to have headaches from this type of injury.

Headaches and migraines are common, but they are not normal. Tons of medications are prescribed every year to patients suffering from regular headaches. Although this may seem like the easiest fix, there is an alternative route you can and should take that may work even better than those medications. Chiropractors are trained to remove misalignments of the spine, resulting in fewer symptoms and healthier function. If there is a misalignment in the neck area, symptoms may include headaches and migraines. When the misalignment is removed from the cervical spine, it allows for nerve communication to go from the brain to the body without interruption. If you suffer from headaches, please call Lisle Chiropractic for an appointment.