Believe it or not, visiting a chiropractor can actually help relieve your headaches. Most people think of visiting the chiropractor only when they have neck or back pain, but adjustments and other treatments from your chiro can actually help headaches and other conditions.
Research Supports Chiro Care Helps Headaches
In addition to plenty of anecdotal evidence showing that chiropractic treatment can help relieve headaches, there have been several official studies as well. Reports in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics in 2014 and 2011 found that chiro care can help with chronic and acute neck pain and cervicogenic and migraine headaches, respectively.
Muscle Tension Is A Headache Trigger
At first, it may seem odd to the average person that chiropractic care can relieve headaches, but when you take a closer look at the most common headache triggers, it becomes clear why this connection exists. The vast majority of primary headaches are linked to muscle tension within the neck and with our sedentary lifestyles, this only gets worse. Since chiropractic care will relieve this muscle tension in the neck and the rest of the body, it essentially eliminates the most common cause of headaches. The result is fewer headaches with some help from your chiropractor.
How Chiropractors Will Treat Your Headaches
There are actually numerous ways that your chiropractor can work with you to reduce your headaches. Chiropractic adjustments or spinal manipulations can improve your spinal function and therefore alleviate stress on your system, including the muscle tension that causes headaches. Chiropractors can also provide advice for work posture, relaxation techniques, and exercises to further relieve tension in the relevant muscles. They will also give you nutritional advice that can have a positive impact on your headaches. Of course, your chiropractor can also give you a quick evaluation before beginning to let you know whether or not your symptoms are likely to be relieved with their help. Some headaches are due to other conditions and while chiro care will help your overall health, it may not be able to treat these headaches directly.
