Do You Have Migraines or Headaches?

According to recent articles in both the headache journal Cephalgia (which means, literally, “headache) and the British medical journal Lancet Neurology, approximately 47% of the population worldwide suffers from headache symptoms. Although headaches are usually classified into several different types (for example migraine, cluster, tension, etc.), it is clear that most headaches in Brookline include some combination of often severe pain on either one side, both sides, the top, and/or the side(s) of the head.

The pain may actually start at the back of the head, and travel, or radiate into the top, side or front of the head (forehead), sometimes into the eye socket and even face and jaw. The pain may be aching or throbbing, sharp or dull, even “stabbing”. Some headaches, like migraines, may be accompanied by nausea, light sensitivity, or visual disturbances (for example, squiggly lines in the visual field). Without proper treatment, many headaches are so severe that the patient has to go lie down in a darkened room (often for hours) until the headaches goes away.

Traditional treatments for severe headaches in Brookline usually involve either over-the-counter or prescription pain medication (Sumatriptan, commonly known as Imitrex, Fioricet, etc.), and/or steroid injections intended to “block” or numb the nerve root(s) involved in causing the headache. These treatments often fail to deliver lasting relief and, of course, carry certain risks. Repeated use of strong medications may, over time, damage organs like the kidneys and liver; and steroid injections have recently been associated with life-threatening infections, like encephalitis (brain inflammation caused by bacterial infection).

Many people in Brookline, because they have suffered with headaches for long periods of time, believe that headaches and migraines are just a normal part of life. In successfully treating headaches for over thirty years we, here in our office, have found this to be untrue. Each year in our Brookline Chiropractic Center office, many individuals have found long-term relief of often-debilitating or disabling headaches with our treatment.

One of the most often overlooked aspects of almost all types of headaches is the fact that they have, in whole or in part, a cervicogenic etiology or component, which means, in plain English, that the headaches are either wholly, or in part, caused by abnormal movement and positioning of the bones of the neck. When a proper examination (which is painless) of the head and neck is performed (we do this in our office), in most cases we are able to locate, and start correcting, the abnormal bone movement and positioning which is causing the headaches. This is also painless, as we are able, using new technologies, to correct the bones- without working on the spine very forcefully. We also offer nutritional and massage strategies to help further eliminate headaches.

If you’ve been suffering with chronic headaches of any type, please come in for a complimentary consultation at our Brookline Chiropractic Center to see how we may be able to examine and treat your neck and head, to finally get rid of your chronic headaches.