What Causes Aches and Headaches?

The source of that nagging ache in your head might surprise you – it’s not your brain itself. In fact, your brain can’t sense pain. Patients undergoing brain surgery often remain wide awake, chatting with surgeons and nurses while their brains are being operated on. The sensation of pain is averted by a local anesthetic that numbs the scalp. So, what causes those bothersome aches and headaches? It’s the non-brain components, such as blood vessels, membranes, and cranial nerves within the brain and skull. When these structures become stretched, compressed, irritated, inflamed, or infected, headaches are a common outcome.

The Chiropractic Approach to Headache Treatment

Why do millions of headache sufferers turn to natural, drug-free chiropractic care for relief? Chiropractic offers a unique approach to healing because chiropractors are the sole healthcare professionals who investigate the body for often overlooked conditions that can harm nerves, disrupt tissue function, induce muscle tension, cause fatigue, and set the stage for sickness and disease.

Woman holding temple area with headache

The Chiropractic Check-Up

During a chiropractic check-up, your chiropractor employs various methods, including hands-on examination, X-rays, and orthopedic tests, to identify any underlying problems. If an issue is detected, your chiropractor will administer a safe and gentle spinal adjustment to address it.

Why Chiropractic Works So Well

Why is chiropractic such a blessing for countless headache sufferers? Many individuals may have a hidden neck injury they are unaware of. For instance, a study involving 6,000 long-term headache sufferers discovered that neck injuries are a significant factor in headache causes and should be considered in every headache case. (1) Spinal adjustments have a profound impact.

In a randomized controlled trial at the University of Odense, Denmark, individuals receiving chiropractic care reduced their use of painkillers by 36% and saw a 69% reduction in daily headache hours. (2)

Even children can be affected by headaches. Take, for example, a 10-year-old girl who suffered from severe chronic migraines six times a week for three years, preventing her from attending school. Traditional medical treatments offered no relief. A chiropractic examination revealed misalignment in her upper neck. After just three adjustments, her need for pain medications diminished, and within three weeks, she was back at school, even resuming dance classes. (3)

Another success story involves a 13-year-old boy injured in a football game. He experienced extreme pain and had to wear dark glasses and earplugs due to heightened sensitivity to light and sound. Medical interventions proved ineffective. However, after his initial chiropractic adjustment, he could return home without his sunglasses, expressing an interest in food. (4)

In another study, patients exclusively receiving chiropractic care showed substantial improvement on par with those prescribed powerful prescription drugs. Patients kept diaries, and the chiropractic approach consistently reduced the severity and frequency of headaches, often outperforming drug therapy without the side effects. (5)

These studies and clinical reports represent only a fraction of the cases where chiropractic care has made a significant impact on headache sufferers.

How Chiropractic Affects Headaches

For many years, it has been joked that the “DC” in Doctors of Chriopractic also stands for “Doctor of Cause.” Chiropractors focus on addressing the root causes of patients’ health problems rather than merely treating symptoms with painkillers and drugs. Recent research has shed light on why chiropractic care is so effective. Scientists have identified a small neck muscle that connects to the brain’s membranes. When the neck is misaligned, this muscle can exert pressure on the brain. As a leading surgeon notes, extensive research links headaches to cervical spine issues, and multiple clinical trials have highlighted the value of chiropractic care in headache management. (6)

References

  1. Braaf MM, Rosner SJ. Trauma of the cervical spine as cause of chronic headache. Trauma. 1975; 15:441-446.
  2. Nilsson N, Christtensen HW, Hartvigsen J. The effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of cervicogenic headache. JMPT. 1997;20:326-330
  3. Bofshever, H. Enchephalgia/migraine. ICPA Newsletter. Jan/Feb 2000.
  4. Esch S. 13-year-old with headache, depression, poor appetite, nausea, general muscular weakness, dizziness and sensitivity to light and noise. ACA J of Chiropractic. December 1988.
  5. Nelson CF, Bronfort G, Evans R, et al. The efficacy of spinal manipulation, amitriptyline and the combination of both therapies for prophylaxis of migraine headache. JMPT. 1998;21(8):511-519.
  6. Hack GD. The anatomic basis for the effectiveness of chiropractic spinal manipulation in treating headache. Abstracts from the 15th annual upper cervical spine conference Nov. 21-22, 1998. CRJ 1999;V1.