Most of us have experienced a headache at least once in our lives.
But for tens of millions of Americans, headache and migraine pain is a
part of their daily lives. It is such a widespread problem that billions
of dollars each year are spent in research and prescription drug sales
(all in an attempt to try to help people get out of pain and get their
lives back).
But despite all of the work and money being thrown at
the problem, the bottom line is that pharmaceuticals (be it over the
counter or prescription strength medications) do not cure the root cause
of headaches & migraines. They merely mask symptoms offering
temporary relief.
Current biomechanical research has found a
common thread with most headache sufferers. This commonality is that
those people who experience ongoing headaches and/or migraines have
problems in the cervical (neck) part of their spine. The cervical spine
has seven vertebrae (the bones which surround and provide some
protection to the spinal cord). The vertebrae are moveable and can
twist, bend, flex and extend. This motion allows us to move our necks
with a considerable amount of freedom.
The mobility of the
cervical vertebrae comes with a price. Sometimes the vertebrae can get
suck out of alignment (in relation to the other bones). When this
happens, it is called a "subluxation". "Sub" means less than. "Luxation"
means dislocation. So a subluxation is an abnormal position of a bone,
but not so much so that it's dislocated. Vertebral subluxations can
occur with as little as one degree of misalignment. They can also occur
when the vertebrae is suck, and isn't able to move correctly. Instead of
the joints gliding on each other freely, they feel like a rusty old
hinge that needs a squirt of WD-40.
When vertebrae become
subluxated, it sends off a cascade of abnormal sensory signals to the
brain. At first, the problem is at a sub-perception level (meaning you
can't feel it). But after enough time passes, the abnormal sensory
signals to the brain grows in intensity, and eventually is perceived as
pain.
So how does this have anything to do with headaches an
migraines? The nerves which branch up into the head stem from the
cervical spine. When you irritate a cervical spinal nerve (which travels
to the head), it eventually is perceived as a headache. The source of
the problem is a hard bone pressing on a soft nerve - all in the neck
area.
When a chiropractor adjusts the cervical spine, he gently
re-aligns the cervical vertebrae, taking pressure off the nerves. If
those nerves happen to be the ones which travel up into the head, the
result is elimination of headaches & migraines. The results can
often be fast and surprisingly powerful.
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