Are Headaches Affecting Your Daily Life?

If you're constantly reaching for pain relievers, avoiding activities, or struggling to get through work because of headaches, you're not alone. Headaches affect far more than your head. They can make it difficult to focus at work, enjoy time with your family, exercise, or simply get through the day.

If you were to ask me what are the most common conditions I treat as a chiropractor, you might be surprised to learn that headaches and migraines are at the top of the list. In our current society, headaches are so common that many patients don't even realize they are abnormal. Often they have lived with a certain level of head pain and or pressure for so long, and at such common intervals, they have stopped mentioning it to their doctors. They associate headaches with stress, poor diet, lack of sleep, too much caffeine, or simply defective genes they inherited from their parents.

Unfortunately for many people, chronic headaches can be far worse and debilitating. I often have patients tell me stories of missed days of work or family and social gatherings, sitting in a dark room in isolation while hoping the pain will pass. They are often prescribed a list of medications, some taken as needed and some taken every day as a preventative. Over time chronic headaches cause patients to be fearful of when the next headache or migraine will arrive. The patient also begins to feel isolated because it forces them to spend so much time alone and suffering. The effects it has on them, both physically and mentally, can become quite overwhelming.

Common Causes of Headaches

Although there are many contributing factors to the actual cause of a headache, such as TMJ disorders, diet, stress levels, and environmental factors, in my professional experience, the most common and significant contributor is biomechanics. What this means is it concerns the structure of your body and how it is moving. For example, if someone has shooting pain going down their leg, we often associate that with an irritated nerve in their low back. We call it sciatica. What happens if we get a similar "pinched nerve" in the neck? If it occurs in the lower part of the cervical spine you will get pain, numbness, or tingling down your arm, hand, or fingers.

Symptoms typically follow where the affected nerves travel. If this occurs higher in your neck, closer to your head, instead of symptoms radiating down an arm or a leg, the patient begins to get symptoms in the head. This can be aggravated by many different factors, such as looking down for long periods while studying or at work, sleeping in the wrong positions, or even hormonal changes. However, these are not the cause of the headache. Likewise, taking medications does not address the actual cause of this headache. The long-term solution is addressing the biomechanical issues at the root of the headache through chiropractic care.

How Chiropractic Can Help With Headache Migraines

As a chiropractor with more than 20 years of experience treating patients in Central Virginia, I've found that headaches are one of the most common reasons people seek care. Typically, nine out of ten patients I treat for headaches either report their headaches are completely resolved or they are significantly diminished. That is still an astonishing number for me. What it tells me is there are so many people taking medications and treating the symptoms of a headache when an actual correction is available. They are not aware of it.

This is why I am so passionate about this topic, and honestly, headaches are one of my favorite conditions to treat with chiropractic. No more constant pressure in your head, dark rooms alone, lost time from family or work, and no more dependence on medications, resulting in a considerable improvement in your quality of life.

- Dr. Will Likins

Chiropractor for Headaches & Migraines in Lynchburg, VA

If you or a loved one is suffering from headaches or migraines, Chiropractic Care Center would love to help you restore your health! Our mission is to provide world-class chiropractic care to Lynchburg, Forest, and the surrounding areas. We have been fulfilling this mission for over 20 years and look forward to serving you for years to come.

Ready to Find Out If Chiropractic Care May Help?

Schedule your appointment today and let our experienced team evaluate whether your headaches may be related to neck tension or spinal dysfunction. Book online or call us at 434-525-4588.