Headache & Migraine Relief – Gilbert, AZ

According to the World Health Organisation, a headache is a symptom of a range of neuro-biological disorders, including some of the most common and ubiquitous. Adults aged 20 – 50 years are the most likely sufferers but children and adolescents are affected too.  The term ‘headache disorder’ encompasses a number of conditions that vary in severity, incidence and duration. Tension-type headaches and migraines are the most prevalent headache disorders and, both with disabling potential, they have the greatest impact on public health.

Dr. Jason Taylor and staff have successfully helped many people with their headaches and migraines. 

Tension Headaches

There are many different causes of headaches and the most common type is a tension headache.  They are caused by muscular tension in the neck and upper back which refers pain up to the head. People commonly experience pain at the base of the skull or forehead. Some causes of tension headaches are: poor posture, whiplash injuries and lack of sleep.

Signs and symptoms of a tension headache include:

• Dull, aching head pain
• Sensation of tightness or pressure across your forehead or on the sides and back of your head
• Tenderness on your scalp, neck and shoulder muscles

Migraines

Warning symptoms known as aura may occur before or with the headache. These can include flashes of light, blind spots, or tingling on one side of the face or in your arm or leg. This is followed by an intense, often throbbing headache which can last 4-72 hours. It can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, where the person just needs to lie down in a dark and quiet room. Once the attack has finished many people feel washed out or confused, however, some people feel elated.

Other causes of head pain is a result of referral of pain from neck and shoulders typically associated with active trigger points within those regions. Such referral patterns are illustrated below:

(trigger points are shown as “x” and “red dots” show where pain is referred from trigger points)

Pain Killers

It is very common for people to reach for pain killers as a quick fix, however, this only addresses the symptoms, not the underlying cause of headaches. Taking pain killers twice per week for more than 3 months may actually cause headaches due to the rebound effect i.e. once the pain killer wears off a headache develops, causing the person to take another tablet and before long they’re taking them daily.

Why Choose Chiropractic for Headache Relief?

Research has shown chiropractic to be beneficial for headache and migraine relief. At Spine and Disc Center of Arizona, we will use a range of methods to determine the exact cause of your problems and then tailor a chiropractic care program specifically for you. In addition to gentle chiropractic treatment, we will utilize know effective treatments such soft tissue work(massage), gentle traction, acupuncture and cold laser to help treat these debilitating conditions.

Many people have found headache relief through our services.