What Causes Headaches & Migranes?
Headaches often begin in your spine. Poor posture or injury can force your spinal vertebrae out of alignment, pressuring nerves and blood vessels. When nerves send painful signals to surrounding neck muscles, those muscles tighten up and a headache may begin. Other headache triggers include stress, caffeine, smoking, allergies, alcohol, some diseases and nutritional deficiencies.

It is a little know fact that 80% of headaches are due to some sort of irritation or dysfunction of the muscles supporting the head and neck. The headache itself is not the problem, it is just the chemical response of the body warning it's master that there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

How Does A Chiropractor Treat Headaches?
Your doctor of chiropractic is uniquely qualified to restore the health of your spine, which may relieve the pressure that is causing your headaches. The doctor will locate any misaligned vertebrae in your neck or spine and manually apply gentle pressure and reposition the vertebrae. These adjustments can help ease your headaches by restoring alignment, improving mobility and relieving pain and stiffness.

Your chiropractor may recommend other types of treatment to help relieve headaches by decreasing muscle tension and swelling or increasing your circulation. These treatments may include moist heat, ice packs, trigger point therapy or traction. Your chiropractor can discuss these with you.

What Can I Do to Prevent Headaches and Migranes?
Whether sitting, standing or laying down, keep your spine aligned. Talk with your chiropractor about simple exercises you can do to strengthen your neck. You may also be able to prevent some headaches and migranes by avoiding caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes. Remember to help control your stress by making time to relax each day.

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