Headaches

What are the Symptoms of Headaches?

At Cool Springs Chiropractic, Dr. Hinz knows that headaches can be a serious condition. If you suffer from headaches, you are not alone. Nine out of ten Americans suffer from them. Some people have headaches rarely, while others suffer from them almost every day. The good news? Research shows that chiropractic care is an effective treatment option for many types of headaches.

Headaches are one of the most common reasons that patients seek out chiropractic care. Why? Studies have found that while not all headaches originate in the neck, the majority of them do, and chiropractic care can help address the source of headache pain. Headaches are not something you just need to accept as a part of life. Chiropractic can help reduce the severity and frequency of headache pain!

Headaches

Symptoms of Headaches

Headaches have many triggers. These causes include foods, noises, stress, lighting, insomnia, blood sugar changes, exercise habits, and more. 95 percent of headaches are labeled as primary headaches, meaning they are not caused by disease.

There are several different types of headaches, all with their own set of symptoms. The most common types of primary headaches and their symptoms are:

  • Cervicogenic headaches (CGH)
    • CGH are often caused by neck pain
    • Pain is worse at the base of the skull and ofetn spreads to the forehead, temples, eyes, face, and even shoulders
    • May experience sensitivity to noise, light, and nausea
  • Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
    • (TMJD)TMJD is a jaw disorder that causes pain, discomfort, and lock jaw
    • TMJD can cause head pain as well as myofascial pain
  • Cluster headaches
    • Usually include intense burning or shooting pain behind one eye
    • Can happen at any time of day
    • Usually do not exceed 90 minutes of headache pain
    • Can have multiple cluster headaches per day
  • Sinus headaches
    • Typically impact the cheekbones and bridge of the nose and forehead
    • Pain often feels worse with movement
    • Often accompanied by nasal discharge, pressure in the ears, and facial swelling
  • Tension headaches
    • The most common type of headache
    • Originate from the neck and neck muscles
    • Often accompanied by pain across the forehead or sides of the head
    • Typically come on gradually and last several days at a time
    • Can cause difficulty sleeping, light sensitivity, and sound sensitivity
  • Migraine headaches
    • Incredibly painful headaches caused by spasm and over-dilation of the arteries in your brain
    • Throbbing pain
    • Nausea and vomiting
    • Sensitivity to light
    • Preceding aura (sometimes, but not always) that creates a visual disturbance
    • Weakness or numbness of the limbs
Headaches
Headaches

Chiropractic Treatment of Headaches

Here are some suggestions from the American Chiropractic Association on how to prevent headaches:

  • Take breaks from fixed positions every 30 minutes to an hour when spending extended amounts of time in front of a computer, TV, reading, etc.
  • Stretch your neck side to side and up and down during the breaks
  • Focus on relaxing your jaw rather than clenching your teeth
  • Stay hydrated and drink at least 64 ounces of water each day

Doctors of chiropractic treat headache pain at its source. According to the American Academy of Chiropractic, “A 2014 report in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) found that interventions commonly used in chiropractic care improved outcomes for the treatment of acute and chronic neck pain and increased benefit was shown in several instances where a multimodal approach to neck pain had been used. Also, a 2011 JMPT study found that chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation, improves migraine and cervicogenic headaches.”

Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic, located in Franklin, TN, will identify the source of your headache pain. Over the counter and prescription medications simply mask headache symptoms. They do not treat headaches at their source. This is why the pain comes back time and time again.

Dr. Hinz will identify any spinal misalignments or subluxations in the spine, and correct them with chiropractic adjustments and other therapies. These subluxations are often the source of countless conditions throughout the body, including headaches and migraines.

You can expect Dr. Hinz at Cool Springs Chiropractic to do the following in order to help treat your headaches:

  • Spinal manipulation or chiropractic adjustments to improve spinal function and alleviate stress on your central nervous system
  • Offer nutritional advice that may help alleviate headache frequency and severity
  • Provide advice on posture, exercises, and techniques to prevent headaches

What are the Benefits of Chiropractic?

Doctors of chiropractic are experts of the spine. The spine houses the body’s central nervous system. The CNS controls every single function and cell of the body. When the spine becomes misaligned, the nervous system cannot function as it should. This dysfunction leads to conditions such as headaches, joint pain, back pain, and more.

Chiropractic treatment seeks to eradicate pain and other unfortunate conditions by treating them at their source. By correcting subluxations in the spine, chiropractic care restores order and function. When the spine is properly aligned, the central nervous system can help your body run the way it is supposed to!

Headaches

Cool Springs Chiropractic Can Help!

Dr. Hinz understands that headaches can be incredibly detrimental to overall quality of life. Whether they take away the joy of spending time with your kids, prevent you from enjoying your friends and family, decrease your productivity at the office, or cause you to miss your favorite show, headaches are a pain, literally. Do not accept headaches as a normal part of life — they don’t have to be! Let Dr. Hinz and the team at Cool Springs Chiropractic help you take control of your headaches today.

If you are interested in chiropractic care and treatment for your headache pain, or for other conditions that may be troubling you, contact Cool Springs Chiropractic today. Dr. Hinz and his dedicated staff look forward to serving you and helping you improve your overall wellness.