Many live day to day with chronic headaches and migraines not knowing the very thing that may be causing them is hiding out in their spine. There are thousands of people who opt for painkillers, but these simply dull the agony and do not tackle spinal misalignments that cause lasting symptoms.
The Spine-Head Connection
Your neck (cervical spine) directly controls blood flow and a nerve function to your head. When a vertebra is misaligned it can be compressing the nerves, twisting arteries and veins and causing muscle tension that will travel to the head causing headaches. The issue itself often stems from poor posture through desk work, looking down at a smartphone or curling up in awkward sleeping positions.
Tension Headaches and Neck Problems
A headache is one of the most common forms of tension and it originates from tight muscles in a person’s neck and limited joint movement. However, when the cervical vertebrae fall out of proper alignment, surrounding muscles become over-stressed and compensate by forming painful knots that indirectly refer to pain to the head. For help from a Cheltenham Chiropractor, visit https://purelandschiro.co.uk/
Migraine Triggers in Your Spine
What we do know is that studies suggest spinal dysfunction can activate the trigeminal nerve—a well-established pain pathway in migraines. Cervical displacements can all the same disrupt regular patterns of blood flow, and this effect might also activate vascular changes into them that are believed to precipitate migraine episodes.
Warning Signs to Watch
Where there are headaches associated with neck stiffness and or shoulder tension/pain which gets worse on moving the head you may suspect that something is going wrong in the spine.
Professional Assessment
Chiropractors have the ability to pinpoint spinal misalignment using assessment and if necessary, medical imaging. Treatment normally involves gentle manipulations, rehab training and also postural correction to recover proper spinal function.
