16 Essential Reasons Why Chiropractic is the Best Treatment for Your Headache

You are probably not one of those mythical creatures that has never had a headache in their entire existence.  (If you are, please let me study you).  Headaches, after all, are truly easy to foster.  Some may be shocked at how well chiropractic treats any headache.  If your body is producing this type of symptom it is trying to tell you that there is something wrong.  That symptom is likely trying to tell you about an odd happening in your nervous system. 

Did you know, when part of your body is exposed to a trauma it may not feel pain?  An entirely different part of the body could be compensating for this trauma and end up hurting instead (or as well)!⁽¹⁾  Your headaches are likely caused by an obstruction to the alignment in your spinal cord (subluxation), which controls the nerves feeding through your entire body.  Your trusted Knoxville chiropractors at Advanced Chiropractic assess your spine and make a game plan for treating your issues!

8 Common Headaches

The terms for types of headaches seem to go on forever.  I took the 8 most commonly talked about headaches on the internet and checked the influence that a chiropractic adjustment had on them… every single one of them prove to benefit from the chiropractic treatment!

Cervicogenic headaches (say that 3 times fast) are defined as a symptom of a physical ailment.  So very often the reason is a misalignment, or subluxation, in the spine.⁽³⁾  This makes spinal manipulation a reliable treatment of a cervicogenic headache.⁽⁴⁾  Adjustments are also successful in treating migraine headaches because frequently, migraines are the result of a subluxation in the neck.^(1,4) 

Menstrual or hormone migraines are an especially brutal kind of headache that are usually experienced by women, appearing around the time of menstruation.⁽¹³⁾  This type of migraine comes from a drastic drop in the essential hormone chemicals, estrogen and progesterone.^(14,15)  An alignment issue can disrupt the production of these hormones, so regular chiropractic care can really help to prevent and treat hormonal headaches.⁽¹⁵⁾

Tension or stress headaches are pretty common and respond very well to chiropractic treatment.^(5,6)  Stress not only causes noticeable tension in the shoulders and neck, it will actually cause nerve disturbance in the spine.  The good news is that not only is this painful subluxation treated with an adjustment, getting adjusted will help to relieve your stress!^(6,16)  Two birds, one goal.  There was a study done over the course of 8 weeks concluding that manual therapy, like an adjustment from your chiropractor, is significantly more effective at long term and short term treatment of tension headaches than treatment from a general practitioner.

Cluster headaches come in clusters.  Exertion headaches are related to exercise.  Hypnic headaches come for you while you sleep.  All three of these have something large in common.  There is never a universal reason as to why they happen, though it does generally come down to some type of spinal nerve issue.  What we do know is that getting a chiropractic adjustment has been notably beneficial for all three of these types of headaches.^(9,10,11)

Sinus Headaches treatment can be especially effective with chiropractic since adjustments are so great for treating sinus issues.⁽¹²⁾  If you suffer from any kind of headache, contact your reliable chiropractors in Knoxville, TN: Advanced Chiropractic Associates, PLLC for a consultation in order to start treating your pain and its cause today.

8 Dangers of NSAIDs

There can be much confusion when it comes to the long-term safety of using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs.  They can be invaluable in emergencies… like if you need something to thin your blood fast.  Though, for the most part it is best to not use these drugs as a go-to medicine. 

• An excessive use of NSAIDs cause ‘daily headache syndrome’ which are headaches that persist until the use of the drugs stop.⁽¹⁾ 
• Using these drugs increases your risk of hearing loss.⁽²⁾
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs will raise your risk of heart failure about 20% (and even more with extreme use!).⁽⁷⁾
• Furthermore, the FDA has announced that frequent or large doses of NSAIDs will increase your chance of heart attack and stroke.⁽⁷⁾
• More than half of all bleeding ulcers are caused by NSAIDs.⁽⁸⁾
• The regular use of these drugs causes kidney and liver issues.⁽⁷⁾

Chiropractic is a safe and reliable option to not only treat the pain- it will treat the cause of your unwanted symptoms.⁽¹⁷⁾  If you are suffering from a headache or if your body is telling you that it is not running optimally, contact the Advanced Chiropractic clinic right here in Knoxville, TN as soon as you can!

Advanced Chiropractic Associates, PLLC

7349 Chapman Hwy

Knoxville, TN 37920

865-579-6500

About the Author

Kali Garcia is a natural health enthusiast.  As the owner and author of Mama Tea Social, she feels drawn to heal and present the cold hard facts.  Connect with her on Facebook.

Works Cited

1) Pesman, Curt. Uncommon Cures for Everyday Ailments. Bottom Line Books, 2006.

2) Stengler, Mark. Dr. Mark Stengler's Natural Healing Library. Vol. 5, NewMarket Health Publ., 2013.

3) “Cervicogenic Headache.” American Migraine Foundation, 24 Oct. 2016, americanmigrainefoundation.org/understanding-migraine/cervicogenic-headache/.

4) Ruegg, Rick, et al. “Evidence-Based Guideline for the Chiropractic Treatment of Adults with Headache.” Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Theraputics, vol. 34, no. 5, June 2011, pp. 227–289.  http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754%2811%2900068-6/abstract89., doi:10.1016/j.clch.2011.09.041.

5) Castien, René F, et al. “Effectiveness of Manual Therapy for Chronic Tension-Type Headache: A Pragmatic, Randomised, Clinical Trial.” Sage Journals, vol. 31, no. 2, 20 July 2010, pp. 133–143. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0333102410377362., doi:10.1177/0333102410377362.

6) “Stress Effects on the Body.” American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx. “Stress Effects on the Body.” American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx.

7) Price, Annie. “How NSAIDs Destroy Your Body.” Dr. Axe, 31 Jan. 2018, draxe.com/dangers-of-nsaids/.

8) Griffin, R. Morgan. “Are Anti-Inflammatory Pain Relievers Safe for You?” WebMD, 23 Sept. 2005, www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/features/are-nsaids-safe-for-you#3.

9) Casey, Molly. “The Safest Way to Combat Cluster Headaches.” The Joint Chiropractic, www.thejoint.com/2017/05/26/the-safest-way-to-combat-cluster-headaches.

10) Souza, Thomas. “Athletic Headaches.” Dynamic Chiropractic, vol. 14, no. 11, 20 May 1996, www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=39184.

11) Hall, Drew. “Are You Feeling Pain On Top Of Your Head? | Natural Headache Relief.” Upper Cervical Healthcare, 20 Aug. 2017, drdrewhall.com/head-pain/.

12) Butler, Sara. “Sinus Pain and Pressure? Chiropractic Can Help!” The Joint Chiropractic, www.thejoint.com/texas/houston/katy-28013/190484-sinus-pain-pressure-chiropractic-can-help.

13) “Menstrual Migraine Relief - Your Indianapolis Chiropractor.” Pain Relief Chiropractic, www.your-indianapolis-chiropractor.com/menstrual-migraine.html.

14) “Menstrual Migraines and Hormones in Women.” WebMD, www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/hormones-headaches#1.

15) Fox, Derek B. “Regulating Hormone Balance with Chiropractic Care.” Fox Integrated Healthcare, 8 Mar. 2016, www.foxintegratedhealthcare.com/regulating-hormone-balance-with-chiropractic-care/.

16) “Can a Chiropractor Help You Reduce Stress?” The Joint Chiropractic, www.thejoint.com/texas/houston/westheimer-at-gessner-28048/can-a-chiropractor-help-you-reduce-stress.

17) “Chiropractic: A Safe Treatment Option.” American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org/Patients-Why-Choose-Chiropractic-Chiropractic-A-Safe-Treatment-Option.