Headaches – It’s Not All in Your Head!
It is very common for patients who suffer from headaches to also complain of neck pain. Therefore treatment for headaches will almost alway include treatment to the neck area. There are several headaches that have been classified due their nature of neck generated symptoms such as the tension type headache. There are a group of nerves that exit the spine in the upper neck and go directly to the head. These nerves pass through muscles that attach to the skull. Any spasm or inflammation of these muscles can put pressure on the nerves causing a headache. There are also muscles in the shoulders and upper back that connect to the base of the skull, again if these muscles become inflamed, it can generate a headache. It is important that you see a qualified physician to determine the cause of the headache. Many times, identifying the cause of the irritated muscles and restoring the normal motion to the spine will effectively treat the headache.

Sometimes patients who have previously sustained injuries to the “core” muscles of the neck, which are responsible for holding your head up, which will cause other muscles to pick up the slack. These muscles quickly become fatigued and inflamed. Once this process begins it will typically continue until appropriate diagnosis and treatment is obtained. Very easy exercises can be prescribed to strengthen the previously injured muscles, usually stopping headaches.

We will perform a series of examination procedures to determine the exact cause of your headache. We will determine appropriate treatment for the cause of your headache which may include chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy and therapeutic exercises.