Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Chiropractic and Headaches - Does It Help?

By Philip Vincent

Traditional therapies offered by chiropractic care can help a plethora of problems. Offices offer so much more than just popping joints and nowhere is this more true than when discussing chiropractic and headaches. Headaches are a very common problem and chiropractic care is a proven way to obtain relief of the associated pain. In fact, research has shown that patients who were treated for headaches by their chiropractor had better results than those treated under a traditional doctor. There are several different types of headaches and the common treatments for each vary slightly.

The easiest type of headache to treat is known as a tension headache. Tension headaches are caused by physical or emotional stress. Stress triggers the body's fight or flight mechanism. If there is no release, that settles in the muscles as tension and can then result in a tension headache. A chain reaction is triggered in which tension leads to body imbalances which then cause headaches. With chiropractic and headaches, any therapy that releases tension, including muscle and joint manipulation and massage, can vastly reduce symptoms. Patients often find relief in just a few visits. It is also very easy for the practitioner to help the patient recognize the cycle. There are many tension releasing exercises that a patient can then do at home to relieve their symptoms without another visit to the doctor.

Another type of headache is the migraine headache. Migraine headaches are characterized by intense pain accompanied by extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Some patients also experience a halo effect. Migraines are difficult to treat using traditional medical techniques. These therapies often just treat the symptoms of pain and sensitivity and neglect to explore the root of the problem.

Studies suggest that migraines are caused by impaired vascular flow. In educating a patient on the benefits of chiropractic and headaches, a practitioner may offer concentrated therapies focusing on the neck and spine to decrease the extreme symptoms. Patients may need continued care for this type of headache. However, while migraines can be a chronic condition, they can be well managed under the care of a chiropractic doctor and with proper care, doctor visits can be vastly reduced.

Chiropractic offices offer so much more than just manipulating joints and muscles. Therapies commonly ascribed to chiropractors are still offered and effective, of course. However, when exploring chiropractic and headaches, a patient will probably be surprised to find alternative and cutting edge complementary therapies as well. These include things like massage, cold laser therapy, ionic cleansing, and even spinal decompression. Chiropractors receive ongoing training and are constantly on the look out for anything that will help their patients get out of pain and achieve a comfortable daily life. - 14130

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