Headaches: How can chiropractic care help?
I was diagnosised with migranes at 12 years old. That began at least four years of taking horrible medication when I would feel the migrane coming on, followed by having to lay in a completely dark room in silence. As a young girl it was terrible listening to children play outside while I was in bed in pain. The migranes became less frequent, but headaches continued to plague me into high school. At 16 my mother took me to see her chiropractor and that's when it all changed for me. My migranes stopped and the headaches nearly disappeared.
Now as a chiropractor myself I get to pass the gift of being headache free on to my patients. One of the reasons chiropractic treatment is so effective for treating headaches is because of the relationship between the nerves in the neck and headache pain. Duke Medical University did a study that found an 80% link between changes in the cervical spine (neck) and frequency of headaches. This is were chiropractic care can help people who are suffering with headaches. 80% is a lot... and if there is a problem in the neck causing the headache pain then the treatment should focus on the neck and not just the symptom/headache. I meet people all the time that are taking medication to help with their headaches. The problem with this treatment is that it is completely ignoring the actual source or cause of the headache. If treatment is focused on the source, in this case the neck, then the symptom will never show up.
Chiropractic treatment may not be able to correct all causes or sources of headaches. With research showing that 80% of headaches come from problems in the neck, it is safe to say that headaches could be greatly improved with chiropractic treatment. If you're ready to kick your headaches out of your life give us a call to see if we can help!
~ Dr. Tharnish
Fibromyalgia: How can chiropractic care help?
Fibromyalgia is fast becoming a go to diagnosis when doctors can not explain wide spread pain that their patients are having. I believe that it is being over diagnosised, but I also believe that it is a real condition with very real symptoms. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia can truely only be given once a thorough physical examination is performed. Fibromyalgia has specific physical findings in conjunction with the syptoms reported by the patient. Chiropractic treatment can be effective in decreasing nerve irritation which is what is thought to be the source of fibromyalgia symptoms. Think of your nervous system as a complex web of electrical wiring controling every function in your body. If any of the nerves in the system start to malfunction, or "short circut", you are going to have problems with what ever that nerve connects to. In fibromyalgia patients there are multiple nerves malfunctioning causing irritation to many parts of the nervous system. Chiropractic adjustments can help improve joint mobility and restore spinal alignment which relieves irritation to spinal nerves. In addition, many therapies we utilize in our office have proven effective in decreasing the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. Massage therapy, electircal muscle stimulation, rehablitative exercises, and cold laser are utilized on a regular basis to help our patients symptoms.
The best way to find out if our treatments can help you is to call us for a free consultation, 843-225-2550.
