Tension headaches are a serious problem in our stress-filled society, especially when it comes to being able to perform common daily tasks. A population study done by Duke University showed that “regular [daily] activities were limited by 38% of tension-type headache attacks” and that “89% of tension-type headache sufferers reported that their headaches had negatively affected their relationships with friends, colleagues, and family.”1 So, chances are, if you are suffering with headaches, your quality of life is being seriously affected.
It is important to understand the cause of tension headaches so that you are able to seek appropriate care, get rid of the pain, and get your life back. Cervicogenic headaches, or what we commonly call tension headaches, are caused by mechanical dysfunction in the cervical spine (the neck). The cervical spine is made up of the top seven bones in the vertebral column. Each bone (vertebrae) has a shock absorbing disc sandwiched between them, which protect the spinal nerves that exit between the vertebrae. Impulses from the brain flow through the spinal cord and then through the branches of the spinal nerves. The brain is protected by the skull and the spinal cord is protected by the vertebral column, so the first place there can be pinching, choking, or irritation of the spinal nerves is where they exit between the spinal joints.
Injuries to the spine from events like whiplash from an auto accident, a slip and fall, or a sports injury, cause the joints to become stuck like suction cups. When this happens, the injured joints do not move normally. The joint surfaces and connective tissues then become damaged and cause an inflammatory response. This condition is commonly known as osteoarthritis. The swelling and chemical irritation that occurs can cause interference with normal nerve transmission. These nerves, if they are the ones controlling the muscles of the neck, will cause those muscle to become constantly tense, thus causing a tension headache. Remember, these nerves are very delicate. Dr. Chung Ha Suh, Ph.D and his colleagues at the Biomechanics Department of the University of Colorado in the 1970′s demonstrated that it only took 10 mm Hg. of pressure (the weight of a dime) on a spinal nerve to decrease transmission in that nerve by up to 50%. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that if we restore normal function to the injured joint, that will reduce the inflammation, relieve the pressure on the nerve, restore normal tone to the neck muscles, and relieve the tension headache.
There are many treatment options available for tension headache sufferers. For the purposes of brevity, we will review the safety and effectiveness of two popular approaches: medication and cervical manipulation. In two controlled trials that Duke University reviewed, they found that cervical spinal manipulation, or what chiropractors call “adjustments”, resulted in “immediate improvement in headache severity…and a course of manipulation treatments resulted in sustained improvement in headache frequency and severity.”2 In other words, the effects of consistent, repeated adjustments over a 6 week period of time were both fast-acting and lasting.
Duke University reviewed another trial in which the effects and safety of amitriptyline, a headache drug, was compared with the effects and safety of cervical adjustments for the treatment of tension headache. They concluded that amitriptyline had a greater effect on the reduction of headaches than adjustments during the 6 week trial period, but that adverse effects were much more common with the group taking the drug than those receiving only adjustments. 82% of the drug patients experienced adverse effects versus only a 4% incidence of adverse effects experienced in the cervical manipulation group.3 Even more interesting is the fact that after both treatments were stopped, the group taking the drug returned to the same headache frequency and level that they experienced before the trial, while the group that received adjustments sustained the improvements that they had made after the trial.4 It just makes sense to treat the cause versus treating just the symptoms.
As another option, the following video, [youtube:BrAcaCylVkI?version=3;How to [link:Relieve a Headache in 2 Minutes];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrAcaCylVkI?version=3&feature=related] will demonstrate a simple, self-help method for temporarily relieving your headache until you can receive professional care. Remember, headaches are “common”, never normal, which is why you should seek professional help to diagnose the cause of your headaches and have them treated appropriately.
1,2,3,4 Duke University Evidence-based Practice Center and Center for Clinical Health Policy Research
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