What to Know about Headaches - What to Do

By Sandy Schroeder

Headaches can create pain, and worry as you wonder if something else is wrong.

Minor headaches make up 95 percent of the primary headaches caused by tension, migraine or cluster headaches. They can be helped with chiropractic treatment and rest.

But five percent of all headaches are body alerts that need immediate medical attention. Severe or unusual headaches can be a sign of stroke, tumor or blood clot. Headaches that develop and persist after age 50 can also be warning signs that need to be checked.

Warning Signs from healthharvard.edu.

• Headaches change in number and strength.

• An extremely painful headache that feels much more intense.

• Pain that reacts to motion or coughs or continues to build.

• Headaches that trigger confusion, tiredness, fever, weakness, speech difficulties, seizures or numbness.

• Headaches that turn up with a sore red eye.

• Sensitivity and pain that shows up near the temples.

• Headaches occur after a head injury.

• Headaches start suddenly, interfere with regular activities and sleep.

• Headaches in cancer patients or people with weakened immune systems.

Ordinary Headache Treatment

In contrast, most primary headaches are tied to muscle tension in the neck, according to the American Chiropractic Association. Research shows chiropractic spinal manipulation may provide relief  from these tension headaches.

Your chiropractor will use spinal manipulation to reduce stress on your system, seeking to relieve the headache pain. Your chiropractor will ask about your daily routine, pattern of headaches and medical history.

Then the two of you can put together a plan to restore balance. Your chiropractor may want to discuss your work posture, and have suggestions for improving your work setting. He or she may also talk about the need to take some time off to recover energy and balance.

Over time, with chiropractic treatment, you may gain relief from joint irritation and tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back, as you move further and further away from headaches.

At that point, you may find 15-minute weekly chiropractic sessions help to keep you on track and functioning well, headache free. I have watched a variety of people follow this path, avoiding pain pills, as they discover the benefits of natural drug-free treatment.

If you are fighting headaches now, stop in at The Joint Chiropractic and start working on the problem. The Joint makes it easy. The hassle of insurance has been eliminated, as the Joint offers separate affordable care plans. Flexible weekday, weekend and evening hours are available and walk-in visits are welcome.

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