Health Issues Reduced Through Chiropractics: Headaches and Migraines

     People who suffer from health issues such as chronic headaches or migraines can seek chiropractic care as an alternative to prescription or over-the-counter medications.  Chiropractic methods seek to eliminate pain through techniques such as massage, spinal manipulation, and adjustments of the joints and soft tissue.  Some migraines are believed to occur through subluxation, the misalignment of the vertebrae in the spine.  This causes the nerves that travel to the brain to become irritated and inflamed.  When the spine and vertebrae are realigned, it relieves pressure on the irritated nerves, resulting in the reduction of headache pain.

 Research

Research conducted by the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER) shows the effectiveness chiropractic care has on migraines and chronic headaches.  The study done at Duke University in 2001, demonstrated different types of physical and mental treatments used to treat patients suffering from chronic headaches.  Researchers compared chiropractic care to amitriptyline, a medication used for headaches, and found that chiropractic care was highly effective for patients with tension headaches.  Even after chiropractic therapy was discontinued, patients continued to see reduction in headache tension whereas patients on medication reverted back to the same state as before.  Chiropractic care can improve physical health and allows the body to fix a correction that lasts beyond the actual treatment itself.