Headaches can dramatically impact a person’s quality of life; they can range from a minor discomfort once or twice per year to daily intense migraines. 50% of people report having headaches at some point each year and up to 25% of women report having migraines. There are two main types of headaches, this first is called primary; this is when the headache is the cause. For example a migraine headache is its own thing, it may be triggered by something but it is not part of another disease. A secondary headache is caused by something else. For example a stroke or infection. The vast majority of headaches are primary, they are not caused by another disease or trauma. These will be our focus today.

Frequency is a huge variable in headaches. Someone may only have headaches intermittently, for example after a night on the town while others suffer more chronically. Many people have headaches multiple times per week or even daily. These individuals are robbed of quality of life due to the limitations from pain.

Common Treatment

Many people use drug therapy. This can offer symptomatic relief, but if not coupled with a plan to treat the cause, it’s only masking a problem. On top of this, the drug is also causing a chemical stress to the body. Many people we speak with say they learn to live with them. However, once their pain has been resolved, every person reports they are quite happy to be free from their headaches.

Physical causes of Headaches:

The structures such as muscles, nerves and bones of the neck and head are very delicate and numerous. There are a lot of nerves here and any disruption to the structures of the body in this area can cause a lot of havoc in the nerves, muscles and even the brain. Old injuries can build up and put pressure here. Old and newer falls or car accidents can do the same. Prolonged sitting and muscle tightness and or weakness are issues as well. Often times on X ray we find structural issues that are clearly causing problems. Many doctors might say the x rays look normal as there is no fracture, tumor or dislocation. What they may not understand is how important optimal alignment is in that area of the body. We now know how many nerves exist in this part of the body and these nerves are constantly sending signals back to the brain. If there is stress, inflammation or tension in these nerves, there will be problems and very often headaches.

We find when these issues are taken care of through a carefully laid out plan to correct the problem, the problem will usually go away. These plans usually involve treatment from our medical staff as well as our chiropractic and rehab staff. When these providers work together, we see amazing things happen.

Chemical Causes of Headaches:

In stubborn cases we often have to uncover the chemical component to headaches as well. Food sensitivities can be hard to pinpoint unless you have a thorough blood test. This along with a toxicity screening done by our medical staff can help us find hidden sources of stress and inflammation in a patient’s body. When these are removed, the body is unburdened and we find HA’s along with other forms of discomfort are greatly improved.

How can I help myself?

Here are some things you can do on your own to reduce your headaches.

• Drink more water
• Eat a diet of mostly vegetables and meat: this can reduce inflammation and congestion and chemicals in some processed food that can cause headaches.
• Get your vitamin D up to optimal levels: this can lower inflammation
• Start your day with a 15-20 min walk: this lowers stress levels and relaxes your body.
• Begin a weight training routine that is balanced and includes plenty of back upper back exercises.
• Don’t sit too much. If you sit at work, stand for a minute every half hour and move your spine.
• Get 8 hours of sleep per night.

If that’s not enough, get to the cause of the problem:

We often see people that have enough going on in their bodies that the above advice isn’t enough. We have a very high success rate with these and even very stubborn HA cases.

You can be free from Headaches.

The bottom line is this…our bodies were designed to be vibrant and well. The vast majority of people don’t have to live with chronic pain. If you can uncover the cause of your issue and fix it, you stand a very good chance to feel much better. If you have chronic HA’s that you’d like to get rid of, you can always give our office a call. We offer free consultation and we will let you know if we can help you.

Your team of chiropractors in Overland Park, KS

True Health…because when you feel good, life is just better.