Headaches

Headaches

Have you ever had a headache? Chances are, the answer is yes. Headaches impact over 40 million Americans. There are a variety of headaches one can experience. Tension, migraine, sinus, and cluster headaches are just a few. The good news is, many of these are treatable with conservative chiropractic care from Smart Pain Solutions.

Headaches can be due to lifestyle, diet, medication, lack of sleep, chronic conditions, and much more. Ultimately, headaches are usually caused by chemical activity, nerves, and blood supply in the brain. Disruptions in the normal state of these can produce different types of pain and sensitivity to the cranial structures.

Types of headaches:

  • Tension: most common type, associated with muscle spasms and neck pain, typically occurs in the afternoon/evening. 
  • Migraine: Episodic, may last 2-3 days. Associated with an “aura” or spotty vision, as well as nausea and vomiting. Usually aggravated by light and sound. 
  • Cluster: least common type, triggered by seasonal allergies, can last for 1-2 hours and occur 3-4 times a day, may awaken you from sleep, or cause congestion.
  • Sinus: may be associated with pain in the cheeks and above the eyes, nasal drainage may also be present. Typically worse in the morning.

 

Conservative and alternative forms of treatment can help with headaches. Some examples include Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Naturopathic Medicine, Nutrition, and CBD Oil.

Many types of headaches respond very well to chiropractic treatment. For common tension headaches, only a couple of treatments are required for extended relief from your nagging pain.

Headaches come in all shapes and sizes. Chiropractic can help many of them.

Acupuncture and headaches

QAPE It

Question:

Neck pain is the second most common condition seen in a chiropractic office. Common causes include things such as posture, an injury, and arthritis. The doctors will discuss the onset, symptoms, and pain patterns to determine what assessments can and should be done.

Plan:

Combination of Dry needling, Active Release through jaw, suboccipitals, upper trapezius muscles, manual stretching and mobilization of jaw, Chiropractic adjustment through neck and upper back. Trial of care 2x/week for 2 weeks. Additional self management strategies such as a night guard or stretching may be recommended depending on the case. 

Assess:

Postural assessments, palpation, possibly X-rays, and tests of motion and mobility will be done to diagnose where the neck pain is coming from and why.

Execute:

During treatment some progress/change should be noted at each visit. If no progress is being made after 2-3 visits a re-evaluation may be necessary leading to a change in plan. If the treatment is working, visits may extend past 2 weeks to achieve maximum medical improvement.

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