Headaches

While all headaches hurt, not all headaches hurt alike. In fact, the International Headache Society has identified and classified nearly 130 different types of headaches. They can be mild, moderate, or extremely severe and incapacitating. Headaches vary in intensity, frequency and duration depending upon the headache type and your sensitivity to them. While the allopathic approach to treating headaches usually involves some form of medication, Upper Cervical Doctors of Chiropractic have  successfully cared for patients with all types of headaches for over  60 years.

”…I’ve made great improvements in several areas. I had headaches on an almost daily basis and experienced much pain with manual limitations in both arms. After x-rays and new adjustment, my headaches ceased and the pain in my left arm all but went away while my right arm is greatly improved…" (R.D., male age 50)

 Most cases of recurring, chronic head pain respond to Upper Cervical chiropractic, however there are cases that are due to some other condition outside the scope of chiropractic.  Some research supports the concept that chronic head pain originates in the structures of the brain, however, more research needs to be done to investigate and document the mechanism for Upper Cervical chiropractic care being so successful in relieving the pain of headaches.
Your Upper Cervical chiropractor will do a physical examination, particularly of the head, neck and neurological system to rule out conditions that may mimic or co-exist with headache syndromes. Any patient who’s headache doesn’t respond to the Atlas adjustment  within a reasonable time is referred out for further diagnostic testing, MRI, Brain Scan, etc.
Headaches can be grouped into two major headache disorder categories:

Primary Headache Disorders

Primary headaches are those in which the headache represents the primary symptom of a physiological, or bodily, disorder. No consistently organic cause can be determined for these headaches. We do know however that spinal misalignments at the level of the brain stem (Atlas/Axis,C1/C2) can and do put abnormal stress on the body and nervous system and often lead to primary headache types and many secondary headaches as well. Such headaches reflect inherited or acquired disturbances of the brain and its relationship to the rest of the body.  Primary headache types include:

• Migraine Headache
• Tension-type Headache
• Cluster Headache
• "Ordinary" Headache (probably a mild form of migraine or tension-type headaches)

Secondary Headache Disorders

These headaches arise as a symptom of another disorder.  More than 300 organic causes of such headaches exist.  Some of the more common secondary headache types are:

• Post-Traumatic Headache (one that occurs as a result of an injury or surgery)
• Reactive Headache
• Sinus Headache
• Rebound Headache