Dysfunction and irritation of the joints and soft tissues of your neck may be the cause of your headaches.
Headaches are a common problem we treat at Lynch Chiropractic Arts Center. The National Headache Foundation reports that 12% of Americans (over 39 million) suffer from headaches. There are many types of headaches including migraine, tension and cervicogenic, all of which can benefit from
conservative treatments.
When evaluating headaches, we always check the contribution of the joints and muscles of the neck. We look for common faulty postures correlated with headaches such as a forward head and elevated or rounded shoulders. We then assess neck range of motion and palpate the joints and muscles. Quite often through this process we are able to recreate the headache
pain,indicating a structural source. The most common culprits are the joints of the top three cervical vertebrae and the muscles that attach to the base of skull, the suboccipitals and the sternocleidomastoid (SCM for short). Irritation of these joints and the presence of trigger points that develop in these muscles cause pain at the base of the skull that can wrap around the top or side of the skull to the forehead. If this is the case, chiropractic adjustments and myofascial treatments of these tissues can give relief and decrease the incidence of headaches.
How did the muscles and other tissues of the neck get irritated? Well, you may find that like myself, you're spending more time on your phone, computer or staring at your television. This can result in postural changes that stress and load the tissues of the neck and upper back. Even if you exercise on a regular basis, you may be using faulty movement patterns that perpetuate the problem. Along with treating the tissues that cause headaches, I also spend time finding 2-3 corrective movements or exercises that you can easily do in your daily life. This allows you to normalize your posture and movement patterns, removing stress from those tissues.
At Lynch Chiropractic we propose a simple solution for cervicogenic headaches. If we normalize the way the tissues of your neck function, we can normalize inflammation and resulting pain.
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