Common Headaches in Greenbelt
Headaches: Are They Normal?
Studies have shown that approximately 90% of people will experience a headache at some point over the coming year. For some, these headaches are a minor annoyance; for others they can be debilitating and frequent. Some headaches occur on one side only, some occur primarily in the back of our head, or the front, or behind the eyes. Some people experience nausea or vomiting with their headaches. Some see lights or stars before the full headache sets in.
Are these presentations common? Yes.
Are they normal? No.
Unlike pain and inflammation, headaches are not a normal body function. They appear as a response to some kind of stress. That stress can either be physical (muscle spasm, whiplash injury), chemical (alcohol, inflammation), or emotional (stress, anxiety) in nature and usually manifests as one of 3 common headaches.
TENSION HEADACHE - These headaches are caused my muscle tension in the head, neck, or shoulders and are usually the result of emotional stress. When someone experiences chronic stress in their lives, tension headaches may become a daily or constant occurrence.
MIGRAINE HEADACHE - Migraine headaches are usually the result of \"triggers\" such as alcohol, certain foods, stress, hormonal changes and weather. They are more common in women than men. In some cases, the cause of migraines may be circulatory or neurological. Modern medicine still does not have a cohesive or consistent explanation as to their pathology or causes.
CERVICOGENIC HEADACHE - These headaches are often the result of whiplash, poor posture, or other trauma. The pain associated with these headaches usually begins in the upper cervical spine, neck and shoulders and often extends to the forehead, temples or the eyes.
Many turn to over the counter medicine for headache relief or in some cases prescription medication designed to prevent headaches from starting. But these medications carry some potentially dangerous side effects and are designed to address the symptoms of headaches, not the root cause.
Many in our Greenbelt practice find relief of chronic headaches as a result of chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic addresses the biomechanics of the vertebrae and the surrounding muscles and nerves. By restoring proper spinal biomechanics, pressure on surrounding nerves and blood vessels is lowered. When the pressure is lowered and the body is allowed to correct itself naturally, headaches and the syndromes that accompany them begin to disappear.
So next time you\'re suffering with headache pain, instead of reaching for the pill bottle, reach for your phone and call Greenbelt Rehab at (301) 474-5505. You have nothing to lose, except your headache.
-Louis S. Crivelli II, DC, MS, CNS
Chiropractor, Greenbelt, MD
