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Treating Headaches

Don’t Mask Headache Pain

TREAT THE SOURCE AT INTOUCH CHIROPRACTIC

At Intouch Chiropractic in San Diego, CA, we want your body to get stronger over time and need less intervention from our doctors. Do you want to treat the root causes of your headaches so you can leave the pain behind for good? Taking aspirin for headache relief in San Diego is common, but it merely masks the pain. The pain does not go away! It is still there; you just don’t feel it because the pain messages are being blocked by the medication. Sometimes taking medication is inevitable, but it’s not a long-term headache treatment solution.

Our doctors provide headache relief for many types of headaches, such as tension headaches, sinus headaches, cluster headaches, and more. A headache and migraine headaches are not the same, but both can be effectively treated at Intouch Chiropractic in San Diego, CA. To find out how Intouch Chiropractic provides Southern California patients with relief from headaches without medications, keep reading.

What Causes Headaches?

The causes of a headache vary greatly. Anything from a simple cold or toothache can cause a headache. More serious conditions that require immediate medical attention, like a brain tumor or meningitis, can also cause painful headaches. Headache pain is one of the most common reasons why people seek a doctor’s help. Fortunately, 95% of headaches are not life-threatening and are considered benign. The majority are classified as tension headaches; the second most common type is a sinus headache.

Still, a headache is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Thankfully, we have answers for patients that are tired of taking medications just to be able to get to work or drop off their kids at school. As you may know, painkillers require increased dosage over time to have the same desired effect – wouldn’t you rather treat the source of painful headaches so painkillers are no longer necessary?

Joselyn's Headache Journey

Patient giving a testimonial on headache therapy and treatment at Intouch Chiropractic

Treating the Source of Headaches

It’s not uncommon for us to meet patients for the first time and hear that they take over-the-counter painkillers daily. Unfortunately, this is not an effective treatment and relief never lasts. At Intouch Chiropractic San Diego, your care team will seek out the source of your headaches, treating the causes so that you can get lasting relief.

When the atlas, the first bone in the neck, is misaligned, it can put mechanical pressure on spinal nerves and blood vessels. An atlas misalignment can cause muscle spasms and inflammation of the head and neck. This can make a patient more likely to suffer from chronic headaches. Poor posture, text neck, poor ergonomics, and even dehydration can all contribute to the frequency of chronic headaches and other symptoms.

San Diego Chiropractor Dr. Devin Young performs adjustments for headache treatment on a patient

NUCCA Spinal Care Provides Lasting Headache Relief

NUCCA is an upper cervical chiropractic technique that does not require any popping, cracking, or twisting of your neck or spine. Patients love that is is a low-force technique. The amount of pressure used during the adjustment is the same amount of pressure used to take your pulse – many patients describe it as feeling like a gentle touch behind your ear.

The entirely customized care you receive in our office is based on analysis of your specific complaints and your unique X-rays. The upper neck is adjusted, only when needed, with the ultimate goal of not needing an adjustment at all. We call this “holding” your adjustment. Many of our patients come in, get checked, and walk out without needing an adjustment – and we are so happy for them when they get to this maintenance stage of treatment.

What Are the Most Common Types of Headaches?

Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are usually caused by muscle contractions in your head, neck, and shoulder muscles. They are one of the most common headaches experienced by adults and are often caused by “emotional stress” that leads to stiffness in your muscles and joints. They are also known as stress headaches. There are 2 types of tension headaches:

Episodic tension headaches happen less than 15 days per month.
Chronic tension headaches happen more than 15 days per month.

Although these headaches are common, they are not normal. You’re sure to agree – even one headache is too many! The most common symptoms of tension headaches include:

A headache that starts later in the day
Insomnia
Irritability

Feeling very tired
Trouble focusing
Achy muscles

These headaches typically begin slowly and increase gradually in intensity in the middle of the day. You feel like you have a tight band squeezing your head with a continuous dull ache on both sides and pain that wraps around to your neck or from your neck.

These types of headaches, if not properly treated, can lead to a vicious circle of more muscular tension leading to more intense headaches making it difficult to get headache relief in San Diego. Chiropractic adjustments at Intouch Chiropractic help alleviate tension headaches by restoring proper alignment of your spine and, at the same time, releasing the built-up tension in your muscles.

Sinus Headaches

Your sinuses are air-filled spaces inside of your cheekbones, under the bridge of your nose and your forehead. When your sinuses get irritated, they make more mucus, swell, and get “stuffed up.” This build-up of pressure can cause sinus headache pain. It’s important to differentiate between sinus headaches and migraines, as they have several similarities:

Both have moderate to severe headaches as a symptom
Changes in weather can trigger both conditions
Facial pressure can present with both migraines an

Because of the location of the sinuses, pain below or above the eyes is a tale-tell sign of a sinus headache. Unless you have an active sinus infection, we don’t recommend taking antibiotics – especially because many sinus headaches are actually migraines that have been misdiagnosed.

Proper diagnosis at Intouch Chiropractic helps ensure that you get lasting sinus headache relief. Excessive use of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance and digestive issues. Keep in mind that other migraine symptoms are clear nasal drainage, nausea, visual disturbances, and sensory sensitivity.

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches get their name from the cyclical pattern in which they happen. It’s very common for patients to say that the pain wakes them up in the middle of the night, with severe pain near one eye or one side of their head. Cluster periods can last from weeks to several months. A period of remission lasting months to years usually follows.

The good news is that cluster headaches are rare and typically not life-threatening. Unlike migraine patients, people with cluster headaches feel restless and will pace back and forth. If light sensitivity or sound sensitivity is felt, it is typically only experienced on one side of the face. A single episode can last from 15 minutes to several hours and often happen at the same time of day. Once the cluster headache clears, patients are pain-free but feel worn out.

If you have experienced or are experiencing cluster headaches, don’t wait for the next round of a painful cluster period. Get headache relief in San Diego with the experienced experts at Intouch Chiropractic.

When to Seek Emergency Care

We recommend you seek emergency care if you experience any of these signs and symptoms:

A severe, abrupt headache, often like a thunderclap
A headache with fever, vomiting or nausea, mental confusion, seizures, numbness, or difficulty speaking
A headache after an injury to the head, even if you consider it to be a minor injury, and especially if it worsens

A sudden and severe headache, described as the worst headache of your life
A headache that changes in pattern and worsens over days

Headache pain, even when intense, typically isn’t due to disease. However, it’s important to see your doctor if your headaches suddenly feel different, more intense, or extreme. Rare but severe conditions, such as brain tumors and meningitis, need to be ruled out.

If your headache pain is not an emergency but is still getting in the way of your day-to-day life, our multidisciplinary approach can help. Call our office or schedule an appointment to learn about treatment options from a headache doctor San Diego. In addition to the headache treatment described above, we also see patients who are suffering from chronic migraine headaches.

Learn more about the types of headaches, headache causes and headache treatments at our blog.