Spinal Healthcare Newsletter

We at Spinal Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center want to help you better understand chiropractic care. This part of our website is devoted to newsletter articles written by our staff to help you achieve a better, more fruitful, and pain-free life.

We welcome your feedback or ideas for new topics.

Headaches

Headaches can ruin your day and they are one of the top five reasons patients seek treatment. While jokes have been made about headaches, they are certainly now laughing matter. Most everyone has experienced a headache at some point in their lives, but about one in three persons suffers from severe headaches at some point in life. A severe headache can disrupt your life and is often debilitating.

There are many types of headaches including:

• Hypertensive or blood pressure related
  
• Migraines
  
• Cluster
  
• Tension
  
• Frontal sinusitis
  
• Cervicogenic – neck related
  
• Space occupying lesions

The old adage of “take two aspirin” is not enough if you suffer from severe headaches – there may be something more serious that your body is trying to tell you. Each of these headaches has different pattern profiles, which aid in the diagnostic interpretation. For example:

• The mode of onset – is there a prodromal phase or period of symptoms that precede the headache.
  
• The site of pain or location – is the headache diffuse, generalized, radiating, localized or migrating.
  
• The quality of pain – dull, sharp, pulsating, stabbing, sharp, aching, burning or exploding.
  
• The intensity, duration and frequency - continuous, intermittent, momentary, or long lasting.
  
• Other associated symptoms - visual, sensory, motor, behavioral changes, or nausea associated before the start of a headache. There may be a correlation with a woman’s menstrual cycle.
  
• The age of the patient
  

Precipitating or aggravating factors – dietary, alcohol, sinuses, arthritis, stress, facial movements, chewing, head position, activity, tension and/or fatigue.

In some cases, serious medical problems may be the cause of headaches. These medical emergencies should be treated as such and once suspected, prompt referral to the correct physician or facility will be made for these types of headaches:

• Arteriovenous malformations (AVM’s) – congenital or birth defect causing abnormal arteriovenous blood communication, these can rupture and bleed.
  
• Brain tumors
  
• Subacrachnoid hemorrhages – bleeding inside the head
  
• Aneurysms – thinning or ballooning of an artery in the head, can lead to rupture and bleeding
  
• Subdural hematomas – following severe head trauma
  
• Infection that is bacterial or viral related i.e. meningitis

In cases like these, it is important to have a chiropractor who can help you get the care you need and will work closely with your physician throughout your treatment.

The majority of severe headache symptoms are not caused by medical emergencies and many can be relieved from simple chiropractic care. Depending on the type of headaches one has determines what treatment are available or needed.

From a chiropractic standpoint, conservative management of the headache is the goal. The following treatments have been found effective for certain types of headaches:
Cervical manipulation – treat irritated joints of the cervical spine that may be causing restricted range of motion, muscle irritation and subsequent headaches. Treatment in the prodromal phase of a migraine has been found effective in reducing or avoiding a full blown migraine headache

Physiotherapy modalities such as heat/ice, myofacial release techniques (massage) to treat muscle spasms or trigger points that cause tension type headaches. Many causes for these include poor posture, disc problems, arthritis, or sprain/strain syndromes such as whiplash. Avoidance of certain types of foods such as cheeses, alcohol, citrus fruits, chocolate, fish and shellfish, milk, eggs, wheat, tea, coffee, onions and pork to name a few. Nutrition supplementation. Evaluating possible drug-drug interactions, chemical exposures

As you can see, headaches are no laughing matter and there is no miracle cure for all headache symptoms. If you suffer from severe headaches, talk to the specialists at the Spinal Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center to find out what treatment might work for you. and will work closely with your physician throughout your treatment.

The majority of severe headache symptoms are not caused by medical emergencies and many can be relieved from simple chiropractic care. Depending on the type of headaches one has determines what treatment are available or needed.

From a chiropractic standpoint, conservative management of the headache is the goal. The following treatments have been found effective for certain types of headaches:
Cervical manipulation – treat irritated joints of the cervical spine that may be causing restricted range of motion, muscle irritation and subsequent headaches. Treatment in the prodromal phase of a migraine has been found effective in reducing or avoiding a full blown migraine headache

Physiotherapy modalities such as heat/ice, myofacial release techniques (massage) to treat muscle spasms or trigger points that cause tension type headaches. Many causes for these include poor posture, disc problems, arthritis, or sprain/strain syndromes such as whiplash. Avoidance of certain types of foods such as cheeses, alcohol, citrus fruits, chocolate, fish and shellfish, milk, eggs, wheat, tea, coffee, onions and pork to name a few. Nutrition supplementation. Evaluating possible drug-drug interactions, chemical exposures

As you can see, headaches are no laughing matter and there is no miracle cure for all headache symptoms. If you suffer from severe headaches, talk to the specialists at the Spinal Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center to find out what treatment might work for you.