For years, we chiropractors and our patients have known that most headaches and migraines respond well to chiropractic treatment. Specifically, the right combination of gentle neck adjustments and muscle therapies can dramatically improve both the frequency and intensity of headaches. During my 22 years of being a chiropractor, treating headaches, has been a daily occurrence.
In many patients, the headaches or migraines improve quickly and give immediate relief. For others, they require a several week process of "fixing" the misalignments of the neck and reducing any related muscle tension, before there is substantial relief. The art of being a chiropractor, is finding out what works best for each unique headache patient.
In 2001, a monumental Duke University study was released that confirmed chiropractic adjustments as one of the most effective methods for safely treating "tension-type" headaches. We often refer to these as cervicogenic headaches. The Duke study actually pitted us head-to-head against one of the more common headache medications amitriptyline (Elavil) , and we beat them hands down in both efficacy (success) and safety! This was of no surprise to the chiropractic community, but it was a great help in educating our Medical Doctor colleagues as to what we can do as chiropractors.
But one of the most interesting facts of how we may explain our success with headaches and migraines, came from a study that was overlooked by nearly everyone....even though there was a reference to it in the New York Times Science section. And it was two researching Dentists from Baltimore that made the discovery. They found a muscle that no one else had in spite of 300+ years of medical investigation!
I'll discuss this fascinating finding more in our next blog.......
Interesting references: