Suffering from headaches? You’re not alone. In fact, it is estimated that an astounding 90% of people will experience a headache at some point this week. I remember when I would get headaches about every other day and just pop a tylenol or ibuprofen. At that time, I thought it was normal to get headaches regularly, but I was soooo wrong. When I was around 20 years old, a friend of mine told me something that drastically changed my life. She told me that “headaches are not caused by the bodies lack of tylenol or some other pain killer. Something is causing the headaches to happen, so take care of that instead of drugging yourself up with pain killers and destroying your liver.” Whoa! That simple statement changed my life, and I hope it’ll change yours too.
So what causes headaches?
First of all, headaches come in a variety of qualities and characteristics which include dull, achy, sharp, and shooting. Any form of a headache can interfere significantly with one’s quality of life, but the most common cause for headaches may surprise you. Many believe that headaches are caused by environmental stressors like foods, allergies, light, or screaming kids, while others attribute them to things like lack of sleep, dehydration, or not eating. Some will even simply blame the headache on stress. But the reality is that all of these account for a mere 5-30% of all headaches! Where is the other 70% of headaches coming from? A study was published in the Canadian Family Physician Journal concluding that “over 70% of all headaches arise from problems with the cervical spine and its related structures.” Other studies have found that up to “95% of headaches come from tension in the neck.” 70-95%!!!!! That’s a very large percentage, so wouldn’t it be reasonable to get your neck checked for any neurological or structural problems? When I heard about this study, I decided for myself that I needed to make an appointment with the best chiropractor in my hometown to get my neck looked at to see if there were any underlying issues that I wasn’t aware of. I had a neurological assessment and x-rays taken of my neck to see if there were neurological and/or structural problems, and I’m so glad that I did because this allowed me to know where my headaches were stemming from and what I needed to do to fix them.
How can a problem in the neck cause headaches?
To make it very simple, this is how it all works. The brain serves as the master computer system for the body, and the brain sends its wires through the brainstem and spinal cord, which travels down the spine. The spinal bones are designed to protect the nerves, but when the bone misaligns, it causes a structural deviation away from normal which will affect the neurological wires, which can lead to headaches, muscle spasms and stiffness in the neck and shoulder areas, among many other symptoms. So if 70-95% of headaches are being caused by misaligned bones in the neck, wouldn’t realigning those bones correct the headaches at its source? Yes, exactly!!! It’s literally that simple.
When I saw the neurological scan and x-rays of my neck, it didn’t look very pretty and it was very clear where my headaches were coming from. My chiropractor started to adjust these areas and that’s when my headaches started to take a turn for the better. I went from having about 4 headaches a week, to having maybe one every couple weeks. As the adjustments continued, my headaches kept decreasing both in frequency and intensity. In fact, it’s been over 9 years since I first saw a chiropractor and I don’t remember the last time I had a headache. I had no idea what a life without headaches would look like, but I’m so grateful that I’m able to live that life today. This is one of the many reasons I decided to become a chiropractor myself, focusing specifically on the neurology and structure of the spine. Today, I’m able to help so many people overcome their headaches and claim victory over them. Don’t let the headaches take over your life. Take a stand and conquer your headaches. We’ll help you get there.
Drs. Joshua and Daniel at Keystone Chiropractic have helped many individuals suffering with headaches in the Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Prosper, and surrounding North Dallas communities. They focus specifically on neuro-structural chiropractic and use advanced technology to pinpoint the exact areas that need to be corrected. Allow Keystone Chiropractic to assist you in gaining victory over your headaches. Live Better Now!
