How Can a Chiropractor Help with Tension Headaches?

With the holidays and the end of the year coming soon, you’re feeling pretty stressed. You’ve even started getting headaches on a regular basis, so much so that you’ve been taking pain reliever a little too frequently for your liking. When your headache has lasted for more than a couple of days, you decide to get medical help. But who is a good resource to turn to for tension headaches? While you may think of a headache specialist or neurologist, the professional you should consider consulting is a chiropractor! In this post, you’ll learn more about this particular type of headache and how your chiropractor can alleviate your pain.

Tension Headaches

As the most common type of headache, tension headaches afflict about 75 percent of those who experience headaches. Often described as a tight band around the head or an ache behind the eyes, this type usually comes on gradually and may even start toward the middle or end of the day and steadily get worse over time. The pain may be intense and severe, but tension headaches are not typically accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or throbbing pain.

Causes of Tension Headaches

Unlike migraines and cluster headaches, which are the result of constricted blood vessels, this kind of headache actually doesn’t originate in your head. In fact, it is typically caused by the mechanisms that stabilize your head. The muscles in your upper back and neck are connected to your head, and if they are over exerted, not stretched properly and regularly, or held in poor posture, the pain can manifest in the head. In addition, misalignment in the spine located in upper back and neck can throw off the delicate balance holding the head up and lead to headaches.

How Your Chiropractor Can Help

Understanding the source of your tension headaches can help you seek out the right medical professional for treatment. Instead of pursuing more invasive or heavily medicated solutions, you should talk to your chiropractor about your tension headaches. They can identify the source of your pain and make the necessary adjustments to reduce your discomfort.

For example, your chiropractor is an expert in the spine and nervous system and can coax your spine back into ideal alignment. As a result, your neck and upper back will ease the pressure and relieve your headaches.

If poor posture is the main culprit behind your tension headaches, they can teach you how to sit and stand in a way that doesn’t exhaust these muscles or lead to misalignment. They can also teach you stretches to keep the upper back and neck loose and comfortable.

You don’t have to live with tension headaches, and you may not have to resort to extremes to get relief. Your chiropractor may be able to help you address the root cause and give you the skills necessary to avoid future pain.

About the Author

Dr. Chad Wills has been practicing for more than 20 years in the Naples, FL area. As a graduate of the Life Chiropractic University in Atlanta, he has continued to develop his clinical skills through advanced training. In fact, he is certified in Chiropractic Biophysics, a protocol that only one other chiropractor in the Collier and Lee County knows! If you would like to meet with Dr. Wills to discuss your tension headaches and get treatment, you may set an appointment by contacting us online or calling our office at 239-331-6060.