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Oh, My Aching Head and Accompanying Dread

By Krista Elliott

Headaches just seem to be one of those accepted parts of life as an adult. I currently have a mild headache from sleeping too long (don't you hate it when that happens?) One of my lovelier Twitter followers has had a migraine for two days now, and is asking friends to send her prospective names for kittens as a way to distract her from her pain. (An unorthodox treatment, but one I can get behind).

There's a reason why "headache" is used as a term for something that is unpleasant. However, headaches can range from the mild annoyance of a slightly achy head and tense neck, all the way to a blinding migraine that sends you stumbling for your bed between bouts of vomiting. 

The Types of Headaches: 

Barring headaches that are a symptom of a more serious health issue, most headaches will fall pretty squarely into one of the following categories. 

  • Tension Headaches - These are your garden-variety achy-head, with the band of tension or pain across your head or at your neck. You can function, but feel rotten. 
  • Cluster Headaches - These are recurring and sudden, with a horrible, stabbing pain on one side of the head, often accompanied by a watery eye or running nose.
  • Sinus Headaches - These are categorized by pain and pressure in the face, sometimes radiating down to the teeth or up into the eye area. They can be triggered by infections or atmospheric conditions.
  • Rebound Headaches - In a cruel twist of fate, rebound headaches are caused by overuse of painkillers. 
  • Migraine Headaches - The Big Kahuna of headaches, these joyful events last at least four hours, and are characterized by moderate to severe pain that impairs your ability to function. Sensitivity to light and sound and/or nausea and vomiting may decide to come along for the ride, just to keep things interesting. 

How Chiropractic Care Can Help

According to the American Chiropractic Association, solid research has shown that spinal manipulation can help to relieve headaches, particularly those that are characterized by tension in the neck. In addition, "...a 2011 JMPT study found that chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation, improves migraine and cervicogenic headaches." 

It makes sense, when you consider how many headaches originate with tension in the neck (that would be most of them). Any migraine that I've ever had has started off as a tension headache, which then, like a malevolent Pokémon, evolved into something much larger and nastier. 

As well, because chiropractic care does not involve medication, it is a safe and natural way to treat headaches at their source while avoiding the risk of developing rebound headaches. 

The chiropractic professionals at The Joint Chiropractic can treat and adjust your spine and joints, improving function, and can also offer expert advice on posture and ergonomics, helping keep headaches at bay in the future. To find out what they can do for you, contact The Joint today!

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