Spring is coming. The thawing of the winter occurs, and so do a lot of sinus problems.
Headaches are an uncomfortable and sometimes debilitating pain that work their way around the face, head and neck. Many people suffer from headaches, and when it comes to treatment, they often reach for the nearest bottle of aspirin. However, getting rid of your headache could be as simple as going to the chiropractor twice a month, some patients believe.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, “People seek chiropractic care primarily for pain conditions, such as back pain, neck pain and headache.”

Tension headaches are the most common types of headaches seen by a chiropractor. Poor posture, misalignment of the neck and stress are just a few of the problems that could be causing these headaches.
“There are a couple of different treatments for headaches that I use,” said Mike Maher, the practicing chiropractor at Mount Olive Chiropractic Center.

Treatments are done on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity. Maher said, “What I concentrate on doing is working on the upper cervical region,” or the upper neck region.
What the chiropractor is setting out to do is realign the spine to its original curvature, which is thrown out of alignment from everyday activity.

This is known as the adjustment, the procedure known to most people as “cracking the back.” The goal of the adjustment is to ease the tension built up in the neck that is causing the headaches.
Although adjustments might improve tension headaches, there are other possible solutions.
Mechanical traction is a device that restores the normal cervical curvature. The traction device uses a restraining grip placed on the jaw of the patient, while the patient sits with his or her head tipped back. Mechanical traction works gradually, meaning every time will be just a little longer than the last, until the neck is back to normal.

On top of regular adjustments and traction, there is also trigger point therapy. Many of Maher’s patients like cold laser because it is non-invasive, and even relaxing. The cold laser “puts a blue light to the tissue and causes the cells in the area to replicate themselves. It increases blood flow to the area, which allows everything to heal itself properly. It’s similar to photosynthesis in the way of replication.” The patient lies on a table head down for five minutes while the laser eases the muscles of the neck.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine states on its Web site, “Ongoing research is looking at effects of chiropractic treatment approaches, how they might work, and diseases and conditions for which they may be most helpful.”

Relief of headaches after seeing the chiropractor could take about four to six weeks, depending on the severity of the headaches.
One patient said chiropractic has really helped her headaches. “I think I’ve only gotten one in the past year,” she said.

For people at home, Maher suggests cold and ice therapy. “Twenty minutes on the area, twenty minutes off,” he said. “But if it’s more of a chronic type headache that lingers, then put heat on it, twenty minutes on, and an hour off.”

ANGELA SPARANDERA
ASSISTANT EDITOR