What Are Tension Headaches?
Headaches affect a large portion of the population, with 90% of those headaches being of the tension type category. At least 20% of the population suffer from tension type headaches on a regular basis. These headaches are often felt behind the eyes, over the top of the head, and at the base of the skull. The question to ask yourself is what is the cause of tension headaches and what can we do about them?
What Causes Tension Headaches?
The number one cause of tension headaches is poor posture. Long commutes in our cars, texting with our heads looking down, and sitting at a desk for 8 hours lead to increased spine and muscle tension. Your head begins to shift forward in front of your shoulders, your middle back then starts to round more forward as the weight of your head pulls on the spine, and your shoulders roll forward with all the sitting we do every day. You can picture it in your head and know that you are guilty of this problem.
At our clinic we see a large number of people with headaches. Often they don’t think they are an issue because they have been dealing with them for so long and they can just pop a pill for them. People will often reach for an over the counter medication like ibuprofen or Tylenol to help get quick relief, but they are just covering up the larger problem and not addressing the real cause.
How Can Chiropractic Care Reduce Tension Headaches?
Studies show that Chiropractic care and soft tissue mobilization helps tremendously for these patients. It is shown to reduce the frequency of headaches, the time each headache lasted, and the overall intensity of the headaches. It also showed after one month improved vitality and mental health, meaning an improved quality of life for these individuals. Why would this be the case? When you suffer with something for so long you don’t realize the impact it has on your sleep habits. Without sleep you have less energy, less mental capacity, and less quality of life.
At our clinic we use a combination of Chiropractic care, soft tissue mobilization and massage therapy, posture correction with exercise rehabilitation, and lifestyle changes to help our patient’s get the results they want. If this is the combination of care you are looking for give our clinic a call. Don’t suffer from tension headaches any longer. Schedule an appointment with us to discuss ways in which Chiropractic care can help you feel better every day!