According to the World Health Organization, about 40% of people worldwide experience headaches every year. Headaches can make it difficult to work, exercise, sleep, or enjoy daily activities. While you may be able to manage occasional head pain with water, rest, and medicine, frequent or persistent headaches can interfere with your quality of life.
At the Health and Wellness Clinic, we provide chiropractic care designed to address musculoskeletal factors that may contribute to certain types of headaches. By evaluating the spine, posture, muscles, and movement patterns, our chiropractic team can develop a personalized care plan designed to help find lasting relief.
What Can Cause Headaches?
Headaches can have many different causes. Stress, dehydration, lack of sleep, eye strain, illness, caffeine consumption, hormonal or environmental changes, and certain foods can all contribute to headaches. In addition to these factors, musculoskeletal issues involving the neck and upper back may also play a role.
Poor posture, prolonged computer use, repetitive movements, and muscle tension can place additional stress on the neck and surrounding structures. In some cases, this may contribute to headache symptoms.
Understanding potential contributing factors can help your chiropractor determine what areas may need to be addressed during treatment.
Common Types of Headaches
We can evaluate patients experiencing different types of headaches, including:
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache. They are often associated with pressure or tightness around the head and may occur alongside tight or sore neck and shoulder muscles. Poor posture, stress, and prolonged time at a desk may contribute to these symptoms.
Cervicogenic Headaches
Cervicogenic headaches originate from structures in the neck but may be felt in the head, face, or behind the eyes. Limited neck movement, joint dysfunction, pitched nerves, or muscle tension may contribute to this type of headache.
Migraines
Migraines can cause moderate to severe, throbbing pain on one side of the head and may be accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, and sensitivity to light and sound. Chiropractic care can help some patients manage migraine pain.
If your headaches are severe, new, changing, or accompanied by unusual symptoms, you may want to schedule a medical evaluation before beginning chiropractic care.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help
Your treatment will depend on the type of headache you’re experiencing and the potential contributing factors. At our office, we provide the following to help you find relief:
Spinal Manipulation — We target specific joints in the spine and apply controlled pressure, improving spinal mobility and reducing stress on the nervous system.
Joint Mobilization — During this treatment, we passively move the joints in areas that often cause headaches, reducing pain and increasing range of motion.
Neck Flexion Exercises — We strengthen and stretch the muscles in the neck to improve posture, release pinched nerves, and relieve pain.
Neuromuscular Massage — During this massage, we focus on treating headache trigger points found in the shoulder, back, and neck. This helps relieve muscle tension, improve circulation, and break pain cycles.
When you come in for a consultation, we will discuss a number of factors, including your diet, exercise, stress, work, and life balance, and create a personalized treatment plan to ensure you receive the right treatment for your headache or migraine.
When Should You See a Chiropractor for Headaches?
Consider scheduling an evaluation if you experience frequent headaches, pain that interferes with your daily activities, or headaches accompanied by neck or upper back discomfort.
If you’re unsure whether you need treatment, keep track of your headaches. Note when they occur, how long they last, what you were doing beforehand, and any other symptoms you experience. This information can help your healthcare provider identify patterns and decide the best course of treatment.
New or unusual headaches should also be evaluated by an appropriate medical professional, particularly when symptoms are severe or progressively getting worse.
When a Headache Requires Medical Attention
Not every headache should be treated with chiropractic care. Seek prompt medical attention for a headache that is sudden and extremely severe, follows a significant injury, or is accompanied symptoms such as confusion, fainting, seizures, weakness, numbness, difficulty speaking, vision changes, high fever, or a stiff neck.
Personalized Chiropractic Care for Headaches
At the Health and Wellness Clinic, our chiropractors have undergone years of extensive training, which allows them to treat a variety of injuries. Our goal is to relieve symptoms and improve our patients’ overall wellness.
Chiropractic care is an effective solution for many medical issues and can limit the use of medication or the need for surgery. Contact our chiropractic office in Layton, Utah, to schedule a consultation and find out how we can help you finally live a headache-free life!