IIn the 20th century, at least 100,000 articles and 1,500 books have been written on headaches. Theories explaining headache vary tremendously, ranging from the divine (original sin) to the microscopic (the nitric oxide molecule). One third of Americans suffer from tension headaches. These headaches can be felt on both sides of the head as a dull, steady pain that often becomes intense at the end of the day. Unfortunately, traditional medicine has little to offer chronic headache sufferers. Pain medicine and muscle relaxants will ease the pain. Stress reduction, relaxation and exercise can improve wellness and perhaps prevent the occurrence of the headache.

A recent study has suggested, however, that chiropractic treatments can decrease the frequency and length of headaches as well as the number of painkillers needed for relief. Dr. Niels Nilsson of Odense University in Odense, Denmark, and Dr. Geoffrey Bove of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, have studied the impact of chiropractic treatment on headaches. They have found that chiropractic treatment can work, but accurate diagnosis of the headache is key to efficacy. The diagnosis of tension headaches relies on very general symptoms.

Unfortunately, these symptoms can mask a headache of a different nature: cervicogenic headaches (originating in the cervical / neck region). Dr. Nilsson estimates that 15-20 percent of all recurrent headaches are cervicogenic.

Cervicogenic headaches are characterized by pain on one side of the head with associated neck pain on the same side. A patient with these headaches perceives pain in the head, but the actual source of the pain lies in the cervical spine.

This distinction is important, because cervicogenic headaches improve upon chiropractic spinal manipulation. Dr. Nilsson says, "My 1997 study showed that a group of cervicogenic headache patients who received spinal manipulation and soft tissue therapy did significantly better than a similar group which received only soft tissue therapy. Spinal manipulation in itself has a significant effect on cervicogenic headaches."

The most recent study indicates that, in contrast to cervicogenic headaches that respond specifically to spinal manipulation, tension headaches respond to chiropractic intervention regardless of whether or not spinal manipulation was performed. Dr. Bove says, "This study shows that tension-type headaches do respond to hands-on therapy, but that cervical spinal manipulation is unlikely to be the factor that affects change."

Dr. Norman Harden, director of the Center for Pain Studies at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, believes the study was well designed. "All in all a very good study, considering the impossibility of blinding a chiropractic procedure. This study, a very vast amount of anecdotal and empiric evidence and now some legitimate studies such as this support the use of chiropractic treatment for tension-type headaches," he says. Most chiropractic patients have yet to realize the contribution chiropractic intervention can make to headache improvements. Only about two percent of patients visit a chiropractor for headache relief.

In the September 2001 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics was a report on the effectiveness of chiropractic care, specifically labeled "SMT" in the study, for patients with chronic headaches.  The data for this report was gathered from nine trials involving 683 patients with chronic headache.

In this study chiropractic adjustments (termed SMT in the study) were compared to massage and medications for short term relief of up to six weeks after a month of care.  The question of long term health benefits was not addressed.  Results showed that the chiropractic group did better than the massage group.  The group that received medication also showed relief however, the rate of  side effects for the medication group was considerably higher than the chiropractic group. This difference gave a decidedly large advantage to chiropractic over the medication.

Headache is a very common condition in patients with chiropractic problems. A cause of headaches can be from spinal bones in the neck that aren’t supporting your head properly. This can affect nerves, muscles and even the blood supply to your head. Research has shown that the most common types of headaches respond well to chiropractic care. The vast majority of even the most severe headaches are relieved when spinal subluxations (spinal joints that are out of alignment, don't move well and also irritate the nerves) and Jaw problems are corrected. The effects that these types of problems have on the nerves often results in pain in the head.

Chiropractic doctors locate areas of the spine that aren’t moving properly.  They notice spinal curves.  They look at your posture and your ability to turn and bend. The chiropractor is also trained to recognize the signs of rare problems that may require immediate medical attention.
If you’re a good chiropractic candidate, you’re care will consist of a schedule of chiropractic adjustments.  These help normalize spinal function, help restore essential spinal curves, improve circulation and reduce nerve irritation. Chiropractic care and periodic checkups are useful ways of eliminating the most common cause of headaches - subluxation.

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September 19, 2006