According to the World Health Organization, headaches are among the most common disorders of the nervous system. Eighty-five to 90 percent of the world’s population experience them throughout their lifetime. Migraines alone were second among the causes of disability, and first among women under 50 years of age, according to the Journal of Headache and Pain.
The pain can be throbbing, shooting or pulsing and can show up around your temples, neck and head anytime–day or night. Headaches can be extremely disruptive, especially for the 10-15 percent of individuals with chronic and severe headaches.
Types of Headaches
Headaches can range from a mild, dull ache, to severe, throbbing pain accompanied by nausea. The location of the headache and the kind of pain you’re feeling are a good indication of the type of headache you have.
Tension headaches are the most common type and appear as pain almost anywhere in the head, scalp, or neck. As tension headaches are often due to a combination of stress and back or neck strain, chiropractic care has been proven to help provide relief for these headaches.
Some people suffer from migraines — throbbing headaches that can cause debilitating pain, nausea, and sensitivity to the surrounding environment. Migraines are often chronic, and the pain can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
When you feel a headache developing, your first thought might be to take an over-the-counter pain reliever. But have you considered a more natural alternative to treat headache pain? Research shows that chiropractic care, without medication, can be an effective treatment for a variety of headaches.
Overland Park chiropractor Dr. Justin Grabouski is known for gentle chiropractic adjustments that alleviate headache and migraine pain. He works to identify the cause of your headaches and find relief that keep you pain free.
Chiropractic adjustments for headache pain
Chiropractic care is an effective headache treatment option for many sufferers.
According to the Journal of Occipital Trauma, headaches are more frequently caused by spinal stress than any other condition. It’s no wonder chiropractic adjustments can improve acute and chronic neck pain, which can reduce the number of headaches you’ll experience — whether you suffer from migraines, tension headaches, or something other kind.
Using gentle, focused adjustment techniques, Dr. Grabouski adjusts the spine to improve spinal function and alleviate stress on the nervous system. Not only does this reduce joint restrictions or misalignments in the spine and other joins in the body, it helps reduce inflammation and improve function of both the affected joint and nervous system. This allows your body to function more normally and reduces risk of stress and tension buildup, which often causes headache pain.
Causes of headaches & migraines
There are plenty of ways to mask the symptoms of headaches, but our goal is to get to the root cause to provide relief from your headaches and keep them from coming back.
Some common causes of headache pain are:
- Stress
- Long hours at a computer or looking down at your phone
- Certain foods
- Dehydration
- Your environment (noise, light, smell, etc.)
- Sleep issues or insomnia
Tension headaches can often be attributed to spending a long time in one position. Text neck or tech neck is a major cause of tension headaches, especially in office workers and youth. Looking down at your phone or working at a computer can build muscle tension in your neck.
It’s estimated that many people spend two to four hours each day looking down at their devices. That adds up to 750-1,460 hours a year with their heads hunched forward and down. The average human head weighs 10-12 pounds, but the more your head leans forward and down, the more stress is placed on your neck and upper back.
If your head is angled down 30 degrees, the weight of your head increased to 40 pounds! If your neck is bent 60 degrees, the weight of your head increases to a staggering 60 pounds! That is a lot of pressure on your spinal nerves, which can greatly increase your risk of headaches.
Prolonged periods sitting in the same position can irritate joints and create muscle tension in your upper back as well. In addition to your recommended chiropractic care plan, Dr. Grabouski also suggests that you take a break every 30-60 minutes to move around, change positions, and help ward off pain.
Ready for relief from headaches?
The next time you suffer from a headache, think twice before masking your symptom with by taking a pain reliever, and schedule an appointment in our Overland Park family chiropractor office. We are located in Overland Park, KS and offer same-day appointments so you can get the relief from headaches you need.
