Chiropractic Treatment For Headaches
Chiropractors are experts when it comes to headache therapy. At Anatomica, chiropractic treatment for headache sufferers is one of our first recommendations, since chiropractic focuses largely on the joints, muscles, and nerves of the neck and back.
Chiropractic treatment for headaches usually include both manual therapy and adjustments. Treatment by a chiropractor can relieve symptoms and reduce the intensity and frequency of headaches by addressing imbalances in strength, mobility, and tension that result in muscle knots, nerve compression, and pain.
Regular chiropractic treatment can improve quality of life for chronic headache sufferers, reducing the total number of headaches as well as their severity and duration.
Chiropractic for Tension Headaches
Chiropractic treatment for tension headaches is effective, natural, and fast-acting. A tension headache typically involves muscle knots in the neck/shoulders that create dull, band-like pain, increased muscle contraction, and heightened sensitivity. Stress, fatigue, and biomechanics usually play factor, adding to the chronic and recurring nature of tension headaches, creating a vicious cycle. Chiropractic care can interrupt this pain cycle and help release spasm and soft-tissue tension. Your chiropractor can provide remedial exercises and home-care advice to help remediate your affected musculoskeletal alignment and mobility, helping to reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches. Studies suggest that 80% of tension headaches improved with chiropractic care. Many patients feel relief within 1-2 sessions, with chronic or longer-standing headaches responding well to 6-8 weeks of chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic for TMJ and Jaw Pain Headaches
The jaw or temporomandibular joints (TMJ) are a common pain point for headache sufferers. Jaw pain can trigger tension headaches, and tension headaches themselves can lead to clenching and higher muscle tone in the muscles of the face and mouth. TMJ Dysfunction happens when the soft-tissue of the jaw becomes chronically restricted, which can lead to inflammation, joint pain and problems with biting, chewing, and sometimes talking.
Chiropractic adjustments for TMJ focus on the relationship of the head, neck, and jaw to one another, the soft-tissue connections, and the functional capacity of the TMJ joints. Chiropractors assess the movement and health of the jaw, release restrictions in the facial and cranial tissues, and perform adjustments to improve mobility and glide of the spine and temporomandibular joints.
A recent systematic review reported that chiropractic therapy consistently improved measures of pain and maximal mouth opening, a core metric of TMJ dysfunction.
Chiropractic for Migraine
Chiropractic treatment can immensely improve the quality of life of chronic migraine sufferers, with regular chiropractic treatment helping to reduce the total number of migraine days, and the duration and severity of the attacks. Chiropractors understand that migraines are complex neurological events, with a wide array of symptoms and presentations. Chiropractic care for migraines takes an individualized approach, assessing the contributing and underlying factors that can trigger migraine headaches and aura.
Chiropractic cervical adjustments and manual release techniques for migraines target the suboccipital muscles and the trigeminal and occipital nerves, helping to moderate the continuous pain signals. Regular chiropractic treatment offers comprehensive support to reduce nervous system activation and hypersensitivity.
Patients with migraine may benefit from an integrative care plan that incorporates naturopathic medicine for blood sugar, histamine, and hormone regulation, as well as osteopathic craniosacral therapy, to support lymphatic and cerebrospinal circulation and drainage.
