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Just about everyone suffers from headaches once in awhile. Most of them don’t require any kind of medical attention and gradually subside with time. It is when a headache starts to interfere with your daily activities or takes them over completely that you need to seek professional attention. Follow these headache tips from our office to find relief and stay one step ahead of the problem.

Why Does My Head Hurt?

There are a host of different “triggers” that may be causing your headaches. Some have to do with your lifestyle choices, some are due to an underlying health condition, some are genetic and some are postural. Some common headache triggers include specific foods, certain smells, bright lights, loud noises, obsessive exercise, changes in blood sugar, using an improper pillow at night, poor posture at work, or poor sleeping habits.

In roughly 95% of headache cases, the headache is not caused by an underlying health issue or disease. Most headaches are the result of muscle tension in your neck and/or upper back caused by spending long hours in one fixed position. This means virtually every headache can be treated by changing your habits and making an appointment with a Kalkstein chiropractor.

Help Yourself First

The most important headache tip you’ll receive from Kalkstein chiropractors is to take steps to help yourself. If you have a job that requires you to sit in a static position for several hours per day, force yourself to get up and move around every 30 minutes or so. It doesn’t have to be anything substantial. Even a walk around the office or light stretching will do, as long as you aren’t sitting.

If you are prone to getting dull throbbing headaches you’ll want to avoid engaging in heavy exercise until they are under control. You can still workout, just switch things up to include more low-impact activities. Clenching your teeth during exercise or any time is another thing to avoid because it causes stress to the joints in your jaw. Dehydration is always a big headache trigger so drink water throughout the day and keep yourself hydrated.

Visiting Your Chiropractor

If you find that your headaches persist, even after following the self-help tips, make an appointment with us at Kalkstein Chiropractic. Spinal adjustments are an effective treatment for headaches that originate in your neck or upper back. Once your misaligned vertebrae are back into position and normal function is restored your headache pain may subside.

At Kalkstein Chiropractic our team is here to help answer your questions.  Please feel free to contact us today.

Irwin/North Huntingdon Chiropractors Discuss Different Types of Headaches

Headaches are one of those health issues that can be mild and irritating, severe and debilitating, or one of many degrees in between. They can build up slowly or come on suddenly, and no matter how bad it is, almost everyone wants a remedy as soon as possible. There are several different types of headaches that a Irwin/North Huntingdon or Chiropractor can treat, so it is important to make an appointment if you suffer from any of the following.

Tension Headaches

A tension headache is probably the most common type people experience. Some of the common characteristics of a tension headache include; a pressing or tightening feeling, bilateral location, mild to moderate intensity, pain lasting from 30 minutes to one week. Tension headaches don’t normally include nausea or vomiting, but they may include light or sound sensitivity.  The presence of tension headaches is not attributed to another health disorder.

Migraine Headaches

Migraine headaches aren’t as common as tension headaches and they are often mistaken for something else. Quite often, a sufferer will attribute any bad headache pain to a migraine, but this isn’t always the case. Migraine is a condition that can be described as a recurrent headache that lasts up to 72 hours, featuring unilateral pulsating pain of moderate to severe intensity. Migraine pain includes nausea and/or sensitivity to light, and it is often made worse with normal physical activity.

Approximately 20% of migraine sufferers will experience a neurological symptom known as an aura before they get a migraine. Auras take the form of visual disturbances or other sensory disturbances. Sometimes, auras occur between migraine headache attacks. Migraines aren’t typically associated with any other health issue.

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are quite different from both tension headaches and migraines, occurring in only about 1% of the population. While most migraine sufferers are women, men between 20 and 40 are the main recipients of cluster headaches. This type of headache produces severe pain around the eyes or along the side of the head. Attacks usually last from 15 minutes up to 3 hours and have been known to occur 8 times in a single day. Tearing, forehead sweating, and nasal congestion may accompany cluster headaches. The intense pain makes some sufferers restless or agitated during the attack.

If you suffer from any of the above types of headaches and want a natural, non-invasive approach to ease your pain, a Irwin/North Huntingdon chiropractor will take the time to assess every aspect of your lifestyle, medical history, and body to find a permanent solution.

Contact our team today at Kalkstein Family Chiropractic to schedule an appointment or learn more.  We look forward to hearing from you.

A study was published in the January 2018 issue of the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics documenting the improvement of concussion symptoms of headache, poor concentration and photophobia in a young boy who had suffered a traumatic accident days earlier. Sometimes called mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), the authors of this study used both these terms interchangeably to describe the same condition.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s Medline Plus website, “A concussion is a type of brain injury. It involves a short loss of normal brain function. It happens when a hit to the head or body causes your head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in your brain.” Estimates of the number of concussions range from 2.5 to 3 million cases each year in the U.S. alone.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control list a number of symptom and danger signs associated with concussion. They include headache that gets worse and does not go away, weakness, numbness or decreased coordination, repeated vomiting or nausea, slurred speech, one pupil larger than the other, convulsions or seizures, or a loss of consciousness.
In this case, a 13-year-old boy was brought by his mother to a chiropractor in Auckland, New Zealand. The boy was suffering from a variety of symptoms related to a concussion. Five days earlier, he had suffered a skateboard accident where he had hit his head. After his fall, the boy was unconscious for 30 seconds. The boy also was suffering with a headache, a decrease in his concentration level, a moderately sore neck, and increased sensitivity to sound and light. His head pain would increase when he walked or laughed.
An examination was performed which revealed an increased sensitivity to light as well as a decrease in coordination. Static palpation, motion palpation, and spinal examination procedures revealed the presence of subluxation in the boy’s spine. Specific spinal adjustments were started to address the subluxations.
According the study, the boy reported significant symptomatic relief after the first visit. These immediate improvements included improved concentration as well as less sensitivity to light. After his second visit, he reported that his headache was no longer constant. Over the next several visits, the boy reported improvement in all symptoms and stated he was “feeling freer.” His condition continued to improve so that by the eighth visit, he reported a complete resolution of all symptoms.
In their conclusion the authors wrote, “This case illustrates how concussion symptoms, specifically headaches, concentration, and photophobia may improve in patients receiving chiropractic care. Further clinical research is warranted to investigate the efficacy of subluxation based chiropractic care in relation to the improvement of concussion symptoms.”

Sadly, most people take care of their cars or other material possessions much better than they do their own Spines.  The Spine is the most neglected organ in the human body and without proper care the joints of your spine will misalign and eventually decay over time. The two main promotors of this spinal decay are repetitive strains and a sedentary lifestyle (too much sitting) – Virtually nobody in today’s world can avoid these.   The average American spends 13 hours sitting EACH DAY!  Too much sitting without chiropractic adjustments will decay your spine like too much sugar without brushing and flossing will decay your teeth.

Neck and Back pain are serious warning signs that you NEED to have your spine checked and adjusted by a chiropractor.  But did you also know that your spine plays a vital role in your overall health.  Roger Sperry won the Nobel Prize for his work in brain research and he said “The more structurally distorted we are, the less energy we have for metabolism, thinking and healing.”  In order words, proper posture/spinal alignment affects every function of your body.

Have your spine checked and adjusted today, for pain relief, increased range of motion and better overall health!

Yours in Health

Dr. Randy