Suffering from headaches can be frustrating, painful and disrupt daily life. Headaches can be directly related to spinal misalignment. Daily tasks such as looking down at your phone, working at a computer all day, driving for hours without rest, jaw clenching in the night and day, and sleeping on your stomach can contribute to headaches.
How does chiropractic treatment help a headache?
Chiropractic care, which includes a combination of massage, spinal manipulation, and passive and active exercises, is often used for headache management and prevention. Chiropractic methods are used to treat cervicogenic headaches, migraines and tension headaches.
Treatments of the neck, paired with adjustments to the spine, could help to significantly relieve headaches and tension. Spinal adjustments such as joint mobilisation, where joints are passively moved for the purpose of improving movement or reducing pain are often recommended for cervicogenic headaches.
During an examination, the chiropractor might find knotted muscles in your upper back or neck. These trigger points can often cause headaches, and the chiropractor may use massage to relax the knot. A variety of exercises and stretches in conjunction with manipulation and massage can help treat headaches.
Although some headaches are unavoidable, here are some tips our Perth chiropractors recommend to prevent or ease headaches.
Drink plenty of water:
It's important to keep your body hydrated, especially after sweating. Dehydration headaches can occur if the body loses essential fluids to function properly.
Take breaks:
Limit the time you spend looking down at your phone or computer screen. Take breaks if driving for long periods.
Adjust the way you sleep:
Try sleeping on your back or on your side with a body pillow and your neck in a neutral position.
Minimise stress:
Headaches are often tied to stressful events. They typically come on quickly and are fairly painful. Often these headaches resolve once the stressful event is over.
Headaches aren’t something you should ignore or push past. At Melville Wellness, we help Perth sufferers just like you to take the next step towards a pain-free life. Book an appointment with a Melville Wellness chiropractor for the treatment of your headaches today!
