Headaches are among the most common head conditions that a chiropractor can care for. It is now recognized that most headaches originate with the muscles, joints and other structures in the neck and shoulders. When aggravated, they cause pain to travel to the head; the result is a headache. Research shows that chiropractic care is effective in reducing the frequency, duration and intensity of headaches.
Chiropractors can diagnose the type of headache you have and determine an appropriate management plan. Chiropractic care may include adjustments, physiotherapeutic modalities, such as ultrasound, and soft tissue therapy, such as massage. Remember that in rare cases, headaches may be a sign of something more serious, so it's important to have your headache diagnosed. Whether you've just started experiencing head pain or it's been affecting you for some time, see your chiropractor.
Almost everyone has experienced some type of headache, but migraine headaches with aura, also known as classic migraines, are a very specific type involving more than just pain.
The word migraine, derived from the Greek hemikrania, which means "half of the head," refers to a throbbing pain in one side of the head that's often accompanied by a stiff and tender neck, extreme sensitivity to light and noise, difficulty concentrating and nausea.
Despite the name's origin, the pain may also travel throughout the entire head at times. The symptoms can last as little as four hours or as long as three days and are often followed by a postdrome (aftereffect) phase during which patients feel exhausted and mentally inept.
Classic migraines also involve what health-care practitioners call an aura, which is a pre-migraine period lasting between 15 and 60 minutes that involves zigzag lines or shimmering stars in the field of vision. Some patients with the condition also report having blind spots and tunnel vision (an inability to see to either side), and in rare instances report speech disturbances, confusion and odd sensations such as tingling, numbness or weakness in the arms or legs. Within an hour, the symptoms associated with the aura usually subside and the migraine headache pain develops.
All types of migraine headaches affect women more than men, by a ratio of about three to one. Genetics also plays a role, and the American Council for Headache Education reports that about 90% of people who get migraines have a family history of the condition.
Approximately 20% of people who have migraines will experience auras. Why some people get them, and others don't is still largely a mystery. In fact, researchers don't even understand the exact cause of migraines in general. Currently, they're focusing on the relationship between migraines and blood flow in the brain, electrical imbalances in cells and hormonal changes in the central nervous system in the hopes of uncovering the mechanism that causes the condition.
They already know, however, that a variety of things are correlated with migraines, including emotional stress, intense physical exertion, changes in the weather, environmental pollutants, certain medications, changes in sleep patterns and foods such as dairy products, red wine and chocolate.
Research also shows that people who get migraines, both with and without auras, have less frequent and less intense headaches after receiving chiropractic care. If you get migraines with aura, your chiropractor will investigate their nature by taking a detailed history of your condition and performing a physical and neurological examination to rule out any organic causes, such as tumors.
Once he or she determines the factors that are contributing to your migraines, your chiropractic care can begin. This will probably include spinal manipulative therapy, also called adjustment, to relieve subluxated (stiff or immobile) joints and inhibit pain receptor activity.
