I was diagnosed with migraines at 12 years old. That began at least four years of taking horrible medication when I would feel the migraine 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 migraines 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 migraines 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