Archive for headache

Three ways to ease a tension headache without medication

With so much going on in the world right now, it’s not surprising that many people are coming to chiropractors with tension headaches.

A tension headache is a mild to moderate dull, aching pain in the head. It often feels like a tight band or pressure across your forehead, or on the sides or back of your head.  You may also experience scalp tenderness and a dull ache in your neck or shoulder muscles.

Tension headaches can be caused by various factors such as stress, dehydration, lack of sleep, and dietary imbalance. There are three key ways to ease a tension headache without medication.

  1. Try a cold compress

Pain is often caused by inflammation in tissues. A cold compress can help alleviate this pain. Try relaxing with a cold compress for 10 minutes on, and then 10 minutes off. If the cold compress doesn’t provide relief you can try a heat pack but ensure to drink plenty of water so that the heat pack doesn’t cause dehydration and make the headache worse.

  • Relaxation techniques

Try relaxing in a dimly lit room by lying down and focusing on deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. Make sure to drink water before the relaxation session in case the headache is the result of dehydration.

  • Allied health care

Allied health care such as chiropractic, massage and acupuncture can provide relief for tension headaches through gentle techniques that work with the needs of your body.

There are a number of things you can do to prevent tension headaches such as:

  • drink plenty of water each day to avoid dehydration
  • try to use relaxation techniques, even if it’s just deep breathing, as part of your daily routine to reduce muscle tightness
  • ensure to maintain a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables
  • don’t smoke and limit your intake of alcohol, caffeine and sugar
  • try to get eight hours of sleep each night
  • exercise at least three times each week, even if it’s just a 20 minute walk.

For more information about how to reduce your risk and frequency of tension headaches contact Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.

Need headache or migraine relief?

If you have a headache, you’re not alone. Most Australians suffer from headaches.
For many people this can happen on occasion but, for some, headaches can really impact their daily life. Headaches may range from a dull throbbing pain through to debilitating pain and nausea. While taking a pain relief tablet may alleviate symptoms for a short period of time, there is a better alternative to long-term headache relief.

Headache Triggers

Headaches have many causes, or “triggers.” These may include dehydration by not drinking enough water, food intolerance, environmental stimuli (noises, lights, stress, etc.) and/or behaviours (insomnia, excessive exercise, blood sugar changes, etc.). About five percent of all headaches are warning signals caused by physical problems. The remaining 95 percent of headaches are primary headaches, such as tension, migraine, or cluster headaches. These types of headaches are not caused by disease; the headache itself is the primary concern.

Most primary headaches are associated with muscle tension in the neck. Australians now engage in more sedentary activities than in the past, and more hours are spent in one fixed position or posture (such as sitting in front of a computer or smart device). This can increase joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.

What Can You Do?

If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, on a smart device, or reading, take a break and stretch every 20 minutes. The stretches should take your head and neck through a comfortable range of motion. While it is good to get up and move around, you can easily do this with some simple stretches in your office chair.

Low-impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise. Engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobic activities.

Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth should never touch the lower teeth, except when swallowing. This results in stress at the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) – the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull – leading to TMJ irritation and a form of tension headache.

Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to help avoid dehydration, which can lead to headaches.

How Chiropractic Care can help

A 2014 report in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) found that chiropractic care improved outcomes for the treatment of acute and chronic neck pain. A previous study also found that chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation, improved migraine and cervicogenic headaches.

Chiropractors treat headaches through firstly identifying where the source of your headaches arises. They will conduct any/all of the following to treat patients:

• Perform spinal manipulation or gentle chiropractic adjustments to improve
spinal function and alleviate the stress on your system
• Provide some nutritional advice if your headaches are related to poor
eating habits
• Offer advice on posture, ergonomics (work postures), exercises and
relaxation techniques. This advice should help to relieve the recurring
joint irritation and tension in the muscles of the neck and upper back.

Chiropractors undergo extensive training to help relieve patients from pain.
They know how tension in the spine relates to problems in other parts of the body, and they can take steps to address those problems.

For more advice contact Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.

YOUR SIDE PROFILE MIGHT INDICATE BACK OR NECK PAIN TRIGGERS

Paying attention to your side profile could help avoid neck and back problems and improve quality of life. New research published by the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) suggests that those whose heads lean forward are most likely to be currently suffering from back or neck pain (58%), followed by those with an excessively arched lower back (56%).

The BCA researchers asked women (whom the study was focused on) which side-shape they are, with four broad categories of altered posture compared to the ideal.

• Spoon – flat back, rounded shoulders

• Leaning tower – head leans forward

• Bridge – arched back

• Flat-pack – flat back

Whether you stand like a spoon or a leaning tower, a bridge or a flat back, your side-shape may indicate problems ahead.

Posture has also been shown to have an effect on many other areas of health and wellbeing beyond symptoms of pain such as mood, energy levels, self-confidence, range of motion, and change in the release of stress hormones. Poor posture can also negatively impact on decision making, work productivity and other areas of life.

The good news is that making changes to your posture doesn’t call for extreme dieting or exercise programs and can be managed simply with the help of your local chiropractor.

People who want to improve their back and neck pain symptoms through a better posture should try imagining they have a plumb line hanging straight from their ears to ankles – with everything in the middle sitting on the same line.

One way to do this is to try standing in a relaxed way and then gently contracting the abdominal muscles. When sitting, the gravity line should pass thorough ear, shoulder and hip.

For more advice contact Lane Chiropractic Pottsville on 6676 2270.