Headaches are Common but NOT Normal

By Dr. Katy and Dr. Isaac Mooberry

Headaches affect just about everyone at some point and they can present themselves in many different ways.  Although headaches can be due to a wide variety of causes, the majority of recurrent headaches are of two types: tension and migraine headaches.

Tension headaches are the most common, affecting 75% of all headache sufferers. Most people describe a tension headache as a constant dull, achy feeling, like a tight band around the head or behind the eyes.  Tension headaches are often the result of stress or bad posture, which stresses the spine and muscles in the upper back and neck.

The most common cause of tension headaches are joint dysfunctions in the upper back and neck, along with knots in the muscles. When the top cervical vertebrae fall out of alignment, the joints above and below the injury have to move more to compensate for the loss of movement.  This extra movement puts stress on the muscles attached to the other joints and soon those muscles become overworked and they go into spasm and trigger points, or knots in the muscles, are formed.  These trigger points can refer pain up into the head.

Each year, about 25 million people in the U.S. experience migraine headaches, and about 75% are women. Migraines are intense and throbbing headaches that are often associated with visual disturbances called an aura, nausea, and sensitivity to light or noise.

They are caused by a constriction of the blood vessels in the brain, followed by a dilation of blood vessels. During the constriction of the blood vessels there is a decrease in blood flow, which is what leads to the visual symptoms that many people experience.  Once the blood vessels dilate, there is a rapid increase in blood pressure inside the head. It is this increased pressure that leads to the pounding headache.

There are a number of things that can trigger migraines, such as lack of sleep, stress, flickering lights, strong odors, changing weather patterns and several foods.  You can reduce the likelihood of migraine headaches by making certain lifestyle changes.

How can chiropractic care help headaches?  Through spinal manipulations that help relax the muscles and realign the joints back into their normal position.  A report released in 2001 from Duke University 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 commonly prescribed medications."  Please give Get Moving Chiropractic a call at 303-670-7777 or visit us on our website, www.getmovingchiro.com, and see what makes us different than other chiropractors! (Please see our ad below.)