Headaches are one of the most common health complaints, affecting nearly half of all adults. While most people reach for pain relievers, there are natural approaches that can address the root cause of your headaches without medication.
Common Types of Headaches
Tension headaches feel like a tight band around your head. They're often triggered by stress, poor posture, or muscle tension in your neck and shoulders.
Cervicogenic headaches originate from problems in your neck. About 15-25% of all headaches are referred from the cervical spine. These headaches typically cause pain on one side of your head that may spread to the forehead, temple, or behind the eye.
Migraines cause moderate to severe throbbing pain, often on one side of the head. They can last for hours or even days and may come with nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, or visual disturbances.
What Causes Headaches?
Many headaches start in your neck. When the joints in your upper neck don't move properly, they can refer pain into your head. This happens because the nerves in your upper neck connect to the nerves that supply your head.
Poor posture is a major culprit. When you spend hours looking down at your phone or computer (especially common for students at Des Moines Area Community College), your head moves forward, putting strain on the muscles in your neck and upper back.
Other common triggers include:
- Stress and tension
- Dehydration
- Lack of sleep
- Certain foods
- Environmental factors like bright lights or strong smells
How Chiropractic Care Helps Headaches
At Feel Good Chiropractic in Ankeny, we take a comprehensive approach to treating headaches:
- Spinal Adjustments: Gentle chiropractic adjustments restore proper motion to the joints in your neck and upper back, relieving pressure on nerves and reducing headache pain.
- Soft Tissue Therapy: We address tight muscles in the neck, shoulders, and base of the skull that may be contributing to your headaches.
- Posture Correction: We'll help you identify and correct poor posture habits that could be triggering your headaches.
- Laser Therapy: Our advanced laser therapy can reduce inflammation and promote healing in painful areas.
- Self-Care Recommendations: We'll provide exercises, stretches, and lifestyle modifications to help prevent future headaches.
Research shows that chiropractic care is effective for headaches. Multiple studies have demonstrated that spinal manipulation can reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches, particularly those originating from the neck. Here's a few!
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Ready to Find Natural Headache Relief?
If you're tired of relying on pain medications for temporary relief, consider a natural approach that addresses the root cause of your headaches. Our Ankeny chiropractic office has helped many patients throughout the Ankeny area find lasting relief from chronic headaches.
Schedule your New Patient Exam today using our Online Booking to discover how we can help you live headache-free!
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