If you suffer from headaches, you’re definitely not alone. In fact, nearly 50% of Canadians experience some form of headache on a regular basis. While common treatments such ice, heat, rest, and pain medication will help, these remedies only address the symptoms, not the underlying causes, of headache pain. A holistic approach, however, that includes a combination of chiropractic care services can eliminate the sources of headaches. Here’s how:

Why Do I Get Headaches?

Headaches can be caused by a number of different health conditions, the overwhelming majority of which have relatively benign causes. While that may be welcome news, it doesn’t make your headaches any less uncomfortable.

For most of our patients, mechanical problems in the neck and cervical column are responsible for headache pain. These dysfunctions, often a result of misalignment, stress, or injury, lead to heightened muscle tension and nerve irritation, ultimately causing headaches. The pain associated with these types of headaches generally starts in the neck, near the base of the skull, before radiating forward into the forehead, temples, and eyes. At their most severe, these headaches can affect your vision and interfere with your ability to work, sleep, and drive.

How Chiropractic Treatment Can Help
A chiropractic care specialist, particularly one that specializes in treating acute and chronic neuromusculoskeletal injuries and ailments, can formulate a treatment plan that can help you achieve significant, if not permanent, relief from headache pain. Often, patients see the best results from a combinative approach that utilizes several therapeutic techniques, including:

• Chiropractic Adjustments: Adjustments performed by an experienced physician realign and rebalance the vertebrae in your neck and upper back, relaxing your muscles and relieving pressure on sensitive nerves. Studies have shown that adjustments not only can provide immediate relief for neck-related headache pain, this type of treatment has far fewer side-effects and better long-term outcomes for tension headache sufferers than regular use of commonly prescribed medications.
• Soft Tissue Therapy: Soft Tissue Therapy is the healing of neuromuscular pain through a host of techniques including muscle manipulation, pressure therapy, stretching, and massage.
  These treatments reduce swelling and inflammation, relax and sooth muscle tension, increase range of motion, and improve the flexibility and strength of connective tissues.
• Exercise Counselling: Adopting a physical fitness plan is not only great for overall health, it plays a major role in reducing the frequency and severity of chronic headaches. A certified kinesiologist will design an personalized exercise regimen that will improve your strength, circulation, and posture.

If you’re looking for a long-term solution to chronic headaches, get in touch with a chiropractic care specialist at The Downtown Wellness Centre today.