Chiropractic helps effectively against headaches

Not all headaches are the same. Experts distinguish between cervical headache, migraine and tension headache, for example. Cervical headache usually starts on one side at the back of the head and moves forward, often accompanied by shoulder or arm pain. Cervical headaches often do not improve with medication. In migraine, throbbing, one-sided headaches, flashing in the eyes, nausea and vomiting, neurological disorders, sometimes toothache are common. It plagues about eight million people in this country, women three times as often as men. Migraines usually come as attacks for several days. Episodic tension headaches are also very common. They are caused by muscle tension due to prolonged tension in the neck, shoulders or head.

There are numerous medications - either acute or preventive. What many sufferers do not know: Chiropractic also helps effectively against various headaches. There are numerous studies that prove this.1

For example, spinalmanipulation of the spine helps against cervical headaches:
- Here, the chiropractor applies a guided, controlled force to specific joints of the cervical spine.
- Joint mobilisation also helps. Here, the therapist passively moves the joints of the cervical spine and makes them more mobile again.

For migraine, the chiropractor has the following therapy options:
- In neuromuscular massage, the chiropractor massages specific trigger points in the back, shoulder, neck and head. As a result, the muscles relax and blood circulation improves. The pressure on the nerves that send pain signals to the brain is minimised.
- Additional relief is provided by a combination of physiotherapeutic and sports medicine exercises, relaxation techniques, stress management and nutritional counselling.

For tension headaches, the therapist combines:
- Trigger point therapy, physiotherapeutic mobilisation and stretching with other therapies.

1^{https://www.jmptonline.org/article/S01} 61-4754(11)00068-6/fulltext