Headaches and Neck Pain

What’s Really Going On?

Headaches and Neck Pain are some of the most common pain complaints we see at Evolve Chiropractic, especially now with excessive use of cell phones, laptops, and computer-based work stations - not to mention stress. These two pain complaints commonly go hand in hand, given their intimate anatomic association with one another, and at Evolve Chiropractic we treat the two concurrently.

Headaches are defined as pain anywhere from the posterior skull to behind the eyes, they can present as single-sided (unilateral) headaches, or dual-sided (bilateral) headaches, and can have different qualities and intensities associated with them based on the cause of the pain. Some common causes of headaches are muscular tension, stress, dehydration, hypoglycemia, migraines, concussions and alcohol-induced headaches.

Neck Pain is defined as pain in the cervical spine region. Similarly to headaches, neck pain can present in multiple different fashions depending on the underlying condition associated with your pain. Some of the more common causes of neck pain include muscular tension and trigger points, facet joint pain, stress, improper ergonomics with work, strains and sprains, cervical disc herniation, whiplash trauma, and improper sleep positioning.

How Does Evolve Chiropractic Treat Headaches and Neck Pain?

While we believe no two conditions are the same, at Evolve Chiropractic we have a similar systematic approach to our treatment of conditions causing headaches and neck pain. We utilize an innovative three phase treatment protocol beginning with our Relief phase, where we initiate immediate pain relief. Once the majority of patients’ pain complaints are reduced, we can graduate to the Recovery phase, where we build the foundation for lasting pain relief, and complete functional recovery. And finally, patients progress to our last phase of care is the Rehabilitation phase, where we stabilize and strengthen the supporting tissues to prevent reinjury.

The length of care in each phase, and treatment modalities received in each phase depend on patient presentation in the clinic, underlying condition/cause of pain, contraindications to care, and previous medical and chiropractic health histories. However, some of the typical treatment modalities we utilize in care for headaches and neck pain include chiropractic manipulative therapy, trigger point therapy, intersegmental traction therapy, percussion therapy, cupping therapy, dry needling therapy, and CBD application.

What Is The Underlying Condition To My Pain Complaint?

There are many different causes for headaches and neck pain - here are a few of the most common conditions causing these pain complaints.
1. Trigger Points - Local areas of inflammation in muscle bellies, that can cause pain referring from the posterior and anterior neck into the head.
2. Facet Joint Misalignment in the Cervical Spine - Joint pain can be either local at the area of the misalignment, or similarly to trigger points, can have a referral pattern from the posterior neck into the posterior portion of your head.
3. Improper Ergonomics and Posture - Holding certain positions with work, watching television or looking down at your phone for extended periods can be a main contributor to headaches and neck pain.
4. Dehydration - Generally dehydration feels like a compressing headache, and does not contribute significantly to neck pain until an individual is extremely dehydrated.
5. Stress - The elephant in the room for all of us! Finding productive ways to manage stress can alleviate muscular tension in the shoulders and neck, and help manage chronic headaches as well.
6. Migraines - Migraines are pulsating or pounding unilateral headaches generally felt in the temporal region of the head. In some instances, they can have an “aura” five (5) to sixty (60) minutes prior to onset. Migraines can be extremely debilitating.
7. Sprains and Strains - Sprains affect ligaments, and strains affect musculature - both are the product of trauma to supporting structures of the head and neck, and in general are seen in active individuals and competitive athletes.
8. Cervical Disc Herniations -Between our cervical spine vertebrae, we have gelatinous material called the intervertebral disc. This disc can be injured, and can bulge or herniate, which causes compression on the nerves leaving your cervical spine. This will cause a burning pain down your neck into your shoulder, and sometimes can be associated with numbness and tingling into the arm and hand. This condition is generally seen in individuals with a compression trauma, or maintain improper postures for long periods through out the day.
9. Degeneration and Arthritis - Degenerative joint changes happen to many of us as we age, and while no one can change the bony changes associated with degeneration, we can provide palliative care to manage the pain associated with this condition.
10. Whiplash - Have you recently had a automobile accident, or serious sports-related trauma? If you’re experiencing neck pain and headaches, you may have experienced whiplash trauma. Whiplash is when the shock from either a car accident or serious sports-related injury is abruptly taken on by the tendons and ligaments in the cervical spine. This can be extremely debilitating, as neck pain and headaches associated with whiplash can last for weeks if left untreated.
If you believe you are currently suffering from one of these conditions, the good news is they all respond quite well to our treatment headache and neck pain protocol at Evolve Chiropractic! Let us help you relieve your pain today.

Do You Have Research Backing Your Treatment of Headaches and Neck Pain?

Evolve Chiropractic prides itself on being the gold-standard for evidence-based chiropractic care, and we are happy to provide all resources backing our treatment protocol upon request for individuals who would like to learn more in depth about our profound impact on headaches and neck pain.

I Want Lasting Relief From My Headaches and Neck Pain!

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