Headaches are a common nightmare for many people in this country. They can be a minor pain that just makes your day a little more difficult, or they can be the debilitating condition that can leave you bedridden for days. There are many different types that have a wide range of symptoms and treatments from the conservative self-care options to the aggressive interventions.
Let’s first start with what causes headaches. This section can easily be 30 pages alone, but I’ll keep it as short as I can. A major cause of some headaches can be food. Foods like red wine, aged cheese and chocolate (this is up for debate) can trigger different kinds of headaches. According to the research, the actual mechanism to what causes a headache is not very well known but many people have found that reducing those foods can improve the frequency or severity of your headaches. Another way that headaches can be triggered is by dehydration. Whether from sickness or intense exercise, a headache can develop easily. Changes in blood sugar can induce a headache as well. This encompasses about 5% of all headaches. Out of the rest of the causes, the number one is muscle tension and imbalances in the neck.
Many people live a sedentary life. Prolonged sitting at a desk, in a fixed position, can lead to some of the supporting muscles of the neck to chronically tighten to support the head. This is usually the muscles right at the base of the skull and traps. The first clue that this may be happening is you may start to notice some stiffness in your neck. You may even notice you constantly have knots in your shoulders called trigger points (more on those in a later article). Over time, as these issues progress, they eventually lead to what is called a tension headache.
A headache is usually noticed in the back of the head and can progress to other parts of the head. Good news, tension headaches respond very well to treatment.
Self-massage works wells to treat headaches. You want to target the sore muscles in your neck. Apply as much pressure as you feel comfortable with and can tolerate. You should not be pushing so hard that you’re killing yourself. It’s always best to shoot for a “hurt so good sensation”. If you don’t want to use your hands, then you can buy some inexpensive tools. This one here is really affordable and effective.
Stretching works wonders as well. With any stretch, it should not be painful. Uncomfortable is okay though. Never force a stress to try to get farther. Doing that can actually cause more harm than good. One of the best stretches is the one below. Just follow what the photo is doing, hold for about 30 seconds and repeat as needed.
There are many other things that can be done like starting exercise, avoiding clenched teeth and drinking plenty of water. Even seeing an eye doctor can help. Eye strain is a huge cause of headaches.
The last thing you can do is get in to see us. An adjustment can be great at alleviating the tension in your neck. In addition to that, there are many myofascial techniques that can reduce the spasm in your neck. Lastly, we can advise you on ergonomics and exercise to help with these issues.