The most common types of headaches are also the most effectively treated with chiropractic care without the need for potentially harmful medication. Stress headaches, migraine headaches and sinus headaches top the list and account for the great majority of all headaches. Fortunately, all three forms have one thing in common they all respond well to chiropractic care. It has been estimated that greater than eighty percent of headaches are related to stress. This can refer to both physical and psychological stressors. No matter which type of stress is involved, the events leading to the onset of headache pain are the same. Several of the nerves that exit the highest portion of the neck loop back to travel over the top of the head to the forehead. These nerves pass through a triangle of muscles called the sub occipital triangle. When these muscles at the base of the neck become irritated, they tend to tighten impinging the nerves passing through the triangle.

Creation of headache

This can create headache pain and pressure at the temple, forehead, and bridge of the nose or behind the eye. Tightness and pain in the upper portion of the neck often accompany this type of headache. Doctors call this form of headache a stress headache or carcinogenic headache. It should be fairly obvious that alleviating joint dysfunction and muscle tightness in the neck would eliminate headaches caused by physical stress. However, even if the headaches are caused entirely by emotional stress, decreasing irritation of the same joints, muscles and nerves can also greatly improve symptoms.

Conclusion

Although it has been widely recognized for over 100 years that chiropractic is effective at reducing the symptoms of migraine headaches, it was not until recently that researchers fully understood how. In fact, it took the discovery of a previously unknown anatomical structure to answer this question. Dental researchers that were performing anatomical dissections on cadavers found a tiny ligament. This ligament connects the uppermost bone of the spine directly to the outer layer of the spinal cord. The researchers theorized that abnormal motion or position of this bone would likely cause tension on the spinal cord altering cerebrospinal fluid pressure in the brain. This correlates strongly with recent theories by medical researchers linking pressure changes in the brain to migraine headaches. Chiropractic care is focused on restoring proper joint motion and position. In the case of migraines this often provides significant relief for migraine sufferers.