Many of the patients who consult us at City Chiropractic Clinic do so because they are suffering from headaches. Often, people consider a headache to be ‘normal’ and without cause. For many, they can be severe and have quite debilitating effects.
There are many different types and causes of headaches. Your Chiropractor will take a thorough medical history and examination to ascertain the type and cause of your headache. Many headaches are due to poor function of the joints and muscles in the neck. These are called ‘Cervicogenic Headache’.
Chiropractic treatment aims to improve and maximise joint function. After making a diagnosis, our chiropractor uses techniques such as mobilisation, manipulation and Activator. You may also be given postural and lifestyle advice, together with exercises to rehabilitate your condition and to help address the underlying cause. Our treatment is often very effective at relieving the frequency and severity of our patient’s cervicogenic headaches. Our findings are supported by current research.
What the research says:
In a study from ‘Spine journal’ 2010 researchers tested the effectiveness of chiropractic adjustment (manipulation) for cervicogenic headaches (headaches originating from the neck) compared to patients receiving light massage. The patients receiving Chiropractic care had significantly better outcomes. Chiropractic patients were more likely to have 50% reduction in headache frequency and at least 50% decrease in overall symptoms. (Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache ; a pilot randomised control trial. Spine Journal 2010).
What does NICE say?
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) changed their guidelines in 2012 for the diagnosis and management of headaches. They revealed that taking too many painkillers can sensitise the brain to pain, leaving the patient prone to more headaches.
If you would like to know more about how Chiropractic care may help headaches please get in touch.