Headache Relief Elk River, MN
Headache Relief in Elk River, MN. What do you do when you get crushing headaches and migraines? Immediately reach for the shelf for ibuprofen? Lie down? Try to persevere and go about your day, knowing it's going to be quite the task to do what you need to do? More and more Elk River residents are turning to chiropractic care as their preferred method of treatment for headache relief. If headaches are making it challenging for you to live the life you want to, call us today at (763) 568-7869 or contact us online.
Types of Headache Relief in Elk River, MN
There are more than 150 categories of headaches. Those 150 are divided into two categories: primary headaches, wherein the headache itself is the relevant health issue, and secondary headaches, which are caused by underlying conditions like a tumor, a concussion, high blood pressure, or an ear infection. Elk River, MN chiropractors normally provide headache relief for primary headaches. There are four ordinary types of those headaches:
Migraine Headaches
Typically, but not always, migraines occur on one side of the head. An estimated one-eighth of the population experiences migraines, and a quarter of those cases are migraines with aura, which are severe headaches accompanied by visual disturbances, including:
- Blind spots
- Seeing zig-zagging lights
- Partial loss of vision
- Tingling
- Muscle fatigue
- Difficulty finding words
Migraine symptoms include vomiting, sensitivity to light/sound, and pain in the face or neck. The level of pain can vary in severity, and a migraine can last just a few hours to almost three days. Anyone who's suffered from migraines knows how debilitating they can be.
Migraines can cause vertigo, which is not only painful but heightens risk of injury because of falling.
Tension Headaches
Most headaches that most people have are tension headaches, which are often associated with muscle tension in the neck. Also called "hatband" headaches because it feels like a tight band is going around your head, most people will experience a tension headache in their lifetime. They typically begin with a pressure-like symptom that develops into a dull pain, and can last from 30 minutes, to hours, or even two or three days. In addition to pressure, other symptoms can be tenderness around your upper body from the shoulders up, pressure behind the eyes, and fear of loud sounds. Tension headaches are just as difficult to deal with as migraines, and a migraine will often turn into a tension headache, as well as the other way around.
Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are acute headaches come and go quickly over a period of 24 hours. At their worst they can cause up to eight attacks per day. Common symptoms are:
- Intense piercing pain behind one eye
- Epiphora
- A droopy eyelid
- Nasal discharge
- Sensitivity to light/sound
- Restlessness
Hemicrania Continua
Hemicrania continua is a type of headache condition that causes continual pain that varies in severity but is only felt on one half of the face. It is often felt as mild pain that is interrupted by periods of significant pain. Symptoms are similar to those of migraines, but also commonly include a blocked nose, a drooping eyelid, red eyes or watering eyes, and eye soreness.
Secondary headaches are the result of specific events, like an exercise headache after physical activity, or a caffeine headache from suddenly stopping coffee intake. Allergies or sinus infections also cause headaches. While chiropractic care is normally sought for primary headache relief in Elk River, MN, seeing a chiropractor can contribute to your total health that can help dissuade secondary headaches also.
Why Do Headaches Happen? | Elk River, MN Headache Relief
An estimated 60% of people with migraines inherited the condition from a parent. Lifestyle factors like intense physical exercise, inadequate sleep, how you sit, stand, and move, and not eating well can cause headaches to happen more often and be more severe. External factors like certain lights, commotion, smells, stress, a whiplash injury from an auto crash, and even sudden changes in air pressure can also be common culprits.
In contemporary society, most Elk River, MN residents are more sedentary than previous generations. A lot of us have to sit down for long periods for our job, looking at a phone, sitting up in bed to watch TV, or otherwise keeping our bodies in unhealthy positions. We're always looking at screens and other sensory overloads that can cause our eyes and heads to hurt.
But what does that do to our bodies internally to cause a headache? A sedentary lifestyle, and external factors negatively affect the joints and soft tissue from your shoulders through your neck, and can result in the bones and joints of our spine being out of place. This creates havoc for the the C1 and C2 vertebrae, the highest two joints of our spines. This can cause cervicogenic headaches that affect the nerves that help your back, shoulders, neck, and face tissue communicate with each other, making headache relief necessary.
Total Spine MN's Approach to Headache Relief in Elk River, MN
As headaches are chiefly a condition of the nervous system, chiropractic care can provide headache relief by helping your nervous system function more smoothly. Over-the-counter medications are what a lot of us Elk River, MN go to for headache relief, but in fact using too much medication to treat headaches can lead to medication overuse headaches.
Increasingly more people are instead why chiropractic care is a great option for headache relief. One study reported that 87.2% of chiropractic patients reported headache conditions. Our Elk River, MN chiropractic clinic can offer lasting headache relief through the following steps:
- Your first visit— When we first see you, we'll carefully examine the very top of your neck and take an X-ray to eliminate other potential causes of your headaches and check for possible complications.
- Chiropractic adjustment — A spinal manipulation is the main technique of any chiropractor in Elk River, MN. If there are no complications causing chiropractic care to be unsafe for you, our experienced chiropractor will manipulate your joints with their hands and small instruments in order to correct your alignment, improve your your posture, and do away with any issues in your nervous system that we can.
- Message Therapy — A message of your neck, upper back, and shoulders will further alleviate the tension at the root of your headaches and smooth out any scar tissue. Massage therapy also alleviates headaches through releasing "feel good" chemical messengers to reduce stress.
- Further Education — Chiropractors are trained to find the causes of headaches, and not just in your joints. We'll offer you advice on your lifestyle to use outside of your chiropractic appointments, such as proper nutrition, proper posture, light exercise you can do to correct imbalances, and educate you on ergonomics.
There's a reason we call ourselves Total Spine Health & Injury Center. We have a variety of techniques to get you living your best life.
Other conditions we treat in Elk River, MN include:
- Herniated Disc Treatment
- Work Injury Treatment
- Family Chiropractic
- Massage Therapy
- Auto Accident Chiropractors Near Me
- Chiropractor
- Chiropractic Adjustment
- Whiplash Treatment
Elk River, MN Headache Relief | Total Spine Health & Injury Center
Sometimes, it's hard to know how how debilitating headaches actually are until receiving the benefit of chiropractic treatment in Elk River, MN. We take a holistic view of headache relief so that you do not have to live with the constant worry of a headache coming on. If you're seeking meaningful headache relief in Elk River, MN, or are interested in any of our other services, give us a call today at (763) 568-7869 or contact us online.