Chiropractor for Headaches & Migraines

Headaches are one of the most common musculoskeletal presentations we see at Total Health Chiropractic, with practices across Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

The World Health Organisation documented the prevalence of headaches worldwide and showed that 46% of adults experience headaches at some stage, ranking them among the top 10 most disabling conditions globally.¹

What are the common causes of headaches?

Headaches have many potential causes. Some types are closely linked to musculoskeletal factors, including:

Muscle tightness in the neck, shoulders and upper back
Restricted joint movement in the cervical spine
Poor posture or prolonged static positions
Previous neck trauma

These types of headaches — including tension-type and cervicogenic headaches — may be appropriate to assess and manage with chiropractic care.

Other headache types, including those triggered by illness, hormonal changes, certain foods or neurological factors, may require assessment and management by other healthcare professionals. If your chiropractor determines that your headaches are outside their scope of practice, they will refer you accordingly.

What about migraines?

Migraines are a distinct and often debilitating condition that can significantly affect daily life. They may occur with or without aura and can be triggered by a range of factors including neck tension, stress, dietary triggers and hormonal changes.

Where migraines have a cervicogenic component — that is, where neck dysfunction appears to be a contributing factor — chiropractic assessment may be appropriate. Your chiropractor will conduct a thorough history and examination to determine whether chiropractic care is suitable for your individual presentation.

¹ Stovner LJ et al. The global burden of headache: a documentation of headache prevalence and disability worldwide. Cephalalgia. 2007.

What are the different types of headaches?

Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache, affecting 1 in 20 people daily. A tension headache is a mild to moderate pain that feels like a tight band around the head. These tension headaches stem from many different factors such as tight muscles, restricted joints and stress.

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are a more rare type of headache, affecting 1 in 1000 people. Men are three times more likely to be affected than women. A cluster headache builds up quickly once it starts and is usually experienced as a deep, intense pain around/behind the eye or in the temple. This type of headache can last from 15 minutes to 3 hours, repeating up to eight times a day. This type of headache is one of the worst due to its intense pain.

Sinus Headaches

Sinus headaches happen when the sinus passages behind the eyes, nose, cheeks and forehead are congested. A sinus headache can be felt as an uncomfortable pressure behind the forehead, but can also be felt anywhere in the sinus area. Pain can worsen when bending forward or lying down – a symptom that is shared with migraines. Because of this shared symptom, people often assume they are experiencing a sinus headache, when they in fact have a migraine.

Migraine

Migraines are typically classified as one sided, throbbing headaches that are moderate to severe in intensity, and can be made worse by movement. Migraines are often associated with nausea, vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light, sound and even smell. Approximately 20% of people experience migraines at some point in their lives. Migraines affect both children and adults.

Migraines can be triggered by a number of factors such as tight muscles around the neck, tension in the joints on the neck, stress levels, certain foods and drinks, hormonal changes and more.

How may Chiropractic care help with headaches?

Research suggests that spinal manipulation may be beneficial for certain headache types, particularly tension-type and cervicogenic headaches. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found evidence supporting spinal manipulation for adults with these headache presentations, noting that the appropriate type and frequency of care depends on the individual case.²

The team at Total Health Chiropractic assesses each person according to their unique presentation. Our chiropractors look to identify what may be contributing to headaches from a musculoskeletal perspective.

Common physical factors that may contribute to tension-type or cervicogenic headaches include:

Poor posture or prolonged static positions
Long durations of sitting, particularly in an office environment
Frequently looking down at screens or devices
Previous neck or head trauma
Restricted range of movement in the cervical spine
Muscle tightness in the neck and shoulders

Whether chiropractic care may be appropriate for your headaches depends on a number of factors, which your chiropractor will discuss with you following a thorough assessment. These include:

The type of headache you are experiencing
The frequency and intensity of your headaches
How much your headaches are affecting your daily life
How long you have been experiencing them

If your headaches are assessed as being outside the scope of chiropractic care, your chiropractor will refer you to the appropriate healthcare professional.

² Bryans R et al. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2011;34(5):274–89.

Sources

(1) The Global Burden of Headache: A Documentation of Headache Prevalence and Disability Worldwide

LJ Stovner, K Hagen, R Jensen, Z Katsarava, RB Lipton, AI Scher, TJ Steiner,

J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2011 Jun;34(5):274-89. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2011.04.008. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. Bryans R1, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, Marcoux H, Potter B, Ruegg R, Shaw L, Watkin R, White E.

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