Natural Headache Relief | Chiropractor in Cary, NC
If you’re watching this video, odds are you are suffering from headaches—and probably pretty consistently. I don’t know many people who haven’t suffered from headaches before, but there are people who get them occasionally, and then there are people who deal with them all the time.
For some people, headaches affect their ability to focus and work, spend time with loved ones or kids, and even enjoy recreation. Sometimes they can become completely debilitating.
We see a lot of patients with headaches in our office. It’s one of the conditions we’re very comfortable helping people with.
There are three very common headache types that people come into our office with:
- Migraine headache
- Tension headaches
- Sinus headaches
Sometimes we also see cluster headaches, but today we’re mainly going to focus on the three most common types.
My goal is to help you better understand the type of headache you may be dealing with and what may be causing it.
Migraine Headaches
If you’ve ever had a migraine headache, you know they can be terrible.
They can consume your life, your day, or even your entire week.
The majority of individuals who experience migraines are females, and migraines can be related to:
- Hormones
- Diet
- Stress
- Spinal and nervous system issues
Migraines are usually described as deep, throbbing headaches that can last anywhere from three hours to three days.
Many people become extremely sensitive to light and sound during migraines. If medication doesn’t help, people often end up crawling into a dark room or going to bed to sleep it off because very little provides relief.
We have many patients who come in for chiropractic adjustments during migraine episodes. Sometimes it helps significantly, and sometimes it helps partially, but migraines can definitely be difficult to manage.
For some patients, we also recommend:
- Dietary changes
- Food journals
- Food sensitivity testing
- Stress management strategies
We’ve had great success helping many patients reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches.
Tension Headaches
If you’re watching this video right now, there’s a good chance you’re not sitting in great posture.
And if you stay in poor posture long enough, you’ll probably develop a tension headache.
I’ve had tension headaches before. They feel like a vice grip squeezing your temples or like there’s a tight band wrapped around your head.
These headaches are often posture-related and caused by:
- Muscle tension
- Poor ergonomics
- Pressure on the nerves in the neck
We call these cervicogenic headaches, meaning the headache is generated from the cervical spine—the neck.
A lot of people spend hours at computers every day. When you get focused on your work, your head naturally moves forward. For every inch your head shifts forward, the weight your neck supports essentially doubles.
After two or three inches of forward head posture, it’s like putting a 30-pound dumbbell on your shoulders. That creates a tremendous amount of pressure on the muscles, joints, and nerves in your neck.
Maybe it doesn’t create pain on day one, but after 10, 15, or even 30 years of that posture, the stress builds up and eventually triggers chronic headaches.
That’s why addressing posture is so important.
In our office, we often help patients by:
- Improving posture
- Reducing muscle tension
- Restoring spinal alignment
- Providing custom therapeutic exercises
We know from research that people with better posture tend to live longer and function better overall.
Sinus Headaches
Sinus headaches are probably the worst type of headache, in my opinion.
I’ve been fortunate not to suffer from migraines, but sinus headaches can create constant pressure in the:
- Forehead
- Cheeks
- Bridge of the nose
- Around the eyes
It can feel like your head is going to explode from pressure.
A true sinus headache is usually associated with:
- Congestion
- A cold or flu
- Allergies
- Mucus buildup
- Sinus inflammation
One of the worst things you can do with a sinus headache is bend over. Anyone who has experienced one knows exactly what I mean—the pressure becomes intense.
A lot of the structures in the upper cervical spine affect sinus drainage. If the neck isn’t functioning properly, drainage can become restricted, which increases pressure and contributes to headaches.
While chiropractic care may not directly eliminate the virus or illness causing the congestion, improving spinal motion and sinus drainage can help relieve pressure significantly.
We’ve seen many patients experience tremendous relief from sinus headaches through:
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Improving drainage
- Restoring motion in the upper neck
- Supporting the body’s healing process
- Finding the Root Cause of Your Headaches
The most important thing is figuring out:
- What type of headache you’re having
- What’s driving it
- And how to create the right plan to help you get well
If you’re struggling with headaches and need help figuring out what’s causing them, we would be honored to help you at Kosterman Chiropractic Center in Cary.
