Management of headaches

Chiropractic management of Cervicogenic headaches

It’s only been 3 months since we started providing an English speaking Chiropractic service in Tokyo but already we have seen a marked uptake in the amount of headache cases compared to our other locations. Perhaps it’s the stress of city life or maybe even it’s nightlife ! but whatever the reason headaches are one thing I think Chiropractic management has an edge on treating.

What is a tension type headache ?

Headaches have been classified by the The International Headache Society into a few main types with tension headaches being the most common.Lifetime prevalence in the general population ranging in different studies between 30% and 78% (1) so if you are suffering headaches you are not alone.

Essentially a tension headache is a headache characterised by peri-cranial tenderness ( pain around the skull ) in the base on the neck and around the muscles of the face. It’s important to figure out what’s not too so excluding headaches from a more serious cause and distinguishing them from Migraines can be quite a challenge.

The exact cause of tension headaches is unknown and likely to be to from many factors ( stress is always in there somewhere ) but one theory that makes sense to us is that long hours of strain cause irritation in the upper cervical joints of the spine which in turn can cause spasms of the upper cervical muscles which in turn sets of some sort of cascade that leads to an inflammatory response and increased sensitivity to pain.

Whatever the cause we find that all over all the many complaints we see on a daily basis, headaches are one of the conditions that seem to respond most favourably.

Chiropractic Treatment of Headaches

Manual therapy has been shown to improve the suffering from tension headaches ( 2) and the results seem better when a few different techniques are involved so the best approach is use a multi-model approach such as combining manipulation, soft tissue releases stretching rather than just using one modelatity.

Changing your work habits is also a great idea but don’t think reaching for that standing desk is going to solve all your problems. What’s more important that sitting or standing is frequent breaks and movement away from your workload.

Getting good hydration is also really important particularly when you are drinking a lot of caffeine which is going to cause even further problems. if you like me love your coffee, make sure you you learn to love your water too.

If you would like to book a Chiropractic appointment for an English speaking Chiropractor in Tokyo you can do so on the link below.

www.tokyointernationalchiropractic.com/appointments