Everyday I see numerous patients that are suffering from headaches. These headaches can range from debilitating to being just a mild annoyance. Regardless, people just want them gone and I can relate. I myself suffer from the occasional headache. They were at their worst during my Palmer College days while spending hours studying. Headaches can be difficult to diagnose and treat because there have been up to 120 different reported causes of headache.
Fortunately many of the more common causes for headaches can be relieved with chiropractic care. Often subluxations or misalignments in the neck vertebrae can occur due to a traumatic injury or simply from the constant tension of looking down at a desk at work or school. No matter the cause these subluxations affect the nerves between the vertebrae in the neck or at the base of the skull. This disruption or irritation to these nerves can often lead to the type of headache that often starts at the base of the neck and travels forward to above or behind the eye.
Another common cause of tension type headaches occurs when the muscles in the neck that attach to the base of skull become tight due to acute injury such as whiplash or more commonly everyday tension and stress. When these muscles tighten they often form adhesions or scare tissue in the muscle. These adhesions are not normal muscle tissue and cause the muscle to become more tense and lose strength. It is also common for headaches to be the result of nerves getting irritated by the muscles surrounding the nerves where they come out at the base of the skull. One such nerve is the greater occipital nerve where it pierces the trapezius muscle at the base of the skull. This nerve among others in this area that can form adhesions between the muscle and the nerve causing increase tension in the nerve. This tension on the nerve leads to that annoying headache that starts at the base of the skull and travels to behind or above the eye.
At Back In Action Chiropractic I have seen great success in helping people with variety of headaches often in as few as 1-2 visits depending on the cause and severity. I work with patients by specifically adjusting the vertebrae in the neck that are subluxated. Additionally all patients with headache typically receive Active Release Technique or ART. I have found ART to be a very effective tool in relieving people with headache. ART works by breaking up the adhesions that form in the muscles or nerves in the neck and allow them to heal and regain normal function. I have certification in specific ART protocols that have been shown to significantly reduce or eliminate headaches. If you or a loved one suffers from headaches please feel free to contact our office at (515) 232-9075 for a complimentary consultations to see if you too can be help with chiropractic.
In Health,
-Dr. Ben Heun
