The cost, in terms of work loss and decreased quality of life, is high among those who experience headaches, as their effectiveness and ability to perform at work, home, or school, is diminished (3). Individuals are increasingly turning to alternative therapies for relief. Studies report that one of the most common alternative practitioners sought out for the treatment of headaches was the chiropractor (1).
Headaches vary widely in terms of severity, frequency, and disability, from rare episodes of minor discomfort to daily, incapacitating headaches. Most people that suffer from headaches will have either a tension-type headache or migraine headache.
Tension Headache
Tension headaches, also known as muscle contraction headaches, are by far the most common type of headache, with a 1-year prevalence ranging from 40 to 80% (2). Tension headaches are usually felt as a bilateral aching, pressing or tightness, but can be felt anywhere in the head and can be worsened by emotional stress.
Migraine Headache
Migraine headaches are usually more severe and disabling than tension headaches, and generally occur in attacks that can last from a few hours to a few days. Recent population-based studies estimate that 10 to 12% of adults have experienced a migraine in the previous year, with 2 to 4 times more women affected than men (2). Migraine headaches are usually felt on one side of the head as a throbbing, pulsating pain. Migraines are often accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light. In some cases, the patient experiences an aura - a period of 20-30 minutes preceding the headache during which the person experiences visual disturbances such as flashes of light or zig zags before the eyes.
A 2003 study by Tuchin and Bonello (4) suggested that chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy appears to have a similar effect to amitriptyline, and a greater effect than neck mobilization, in the improvement of standard migraine outcome measures.
Solution
At Aquarius Chiropractic, we personalize your care formulating effective diagnosis and treatment strategies beginning with the identification of the underlying causes and contributing factors as they uniquely pertain to you. Patients are treated according to their specific needs, goals and objectives. This may involve treatment at Aquarius Chiropractic alone, or may involve treatment in conjunction with another health professional. Take control of your pain, knowing that we are fully committed to providing quality non-surgical drug-free care.
References
- Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, Appel S, Wilkey S, Van Rompay M. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997: results of a follow-up national survey. JAMA. 280:1569-75, 1998.
- Rasmussen BK. Epidemiology of headache. Cephalalgia. 15:45-68, 1995.
- Schwartz BS, Stewart WF, Simon D, Lipton RB. Epidemiology of tension-type headache. JAMA. 279:381-3, 1998.
- Tuchin PJ, & Bonello R. The evidence on chiropractic treatment for migraine. Conference Proceedings. World Federation of Chiropractic, 7th Biennial Congress, 2003.