Headache Treatment in Alexandria
A dull ache. Throbbing or pulsating pain. A feeling that a vise is around your head. There are many types of headaches you can have. These include classic or common headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, cervicogenic headaches, and tension headaches. Migraines also come in different forms. At Back to Health Center, we see many people come in seeking relief from their headaches or migraines.
What Causes Headaches?
Based on a review of all the journal studies out there on headaches, muscle knots or referral pain patterns in your neck—whether from stress, awkward sleeping on your neck, or injury of the muscles in your neck—can cause headaches that go into the back of your head and right behind your eyes.
How Chiropractic May Help
Studies have shown that chiropractic is effective for tension types of headaches. What we do as a chiropractor is address the muscles in those areas. And we also work on your spine to get it moving better. When the restrictions caused by those muscle knots are released, there may be a reduction in headaches. These will become less frequent, less intense, and shorter in duration.
You should see improvement relatively quickly when getting adjusted. If it’s a tension type or cervicogenic headache, you will probably feel those improvements within 6-8 visits. If you suffer from migraines and your case is a little more complex (e.g. hormonal or vascular migraines), it may take longer to see if there is improvement.
A front desk team member will greet you and give you a few forms to complete if you haven’t yet filled them out through our online portal. We will do an insurance verification as a courtesy to you to let you know what your insurance benefits are prior to your evaluation.
Once that has been processed at the front desk, Dr. Shara or Dr. Katie will bring you back into the exam room. Your chiropractor will perform a comprehensive evaluation that will help her make your diagnosis.
Based on your diagnosis, we may or may not provide treatment at that time. The only time we don’t treat someone on that first visit or do an adjustment on that initial visit is if there’s some type of red flag indicating more testing (e.g. an X-ray or MRI) or a referral is needed.
Are there any supplements you recommend to help alleviate headaches?
Yes. From women who are thinking of starting a family and don’t want to be on medication to other patients who want to relieve headaches naturally, some supplements may help. Dr. Shara has a master’s in nutrition and sometimes offers a patient supplements they can take to alleviate their headaches.
Do you sell pillows that could help with my headaches?
Yes.
Can you provide recommendations on things I can do at home?
Yes. We can talk to you about how to sleep on your neck, so you don’t wake up with headaches or neck pain. We can also provide recommendations on how to set up your workstation, so you’re not increasing tension in your upper back, which can lead to migraines.
Book an Appointment
Take that first step toward getting help for your headaches. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
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