HEADACHE

Headaches affect roughly 1 out of every 7 Americans annually. Migraines and headaches are leading causes of outpatient and ER visits and remains an important public health concern, particularly amongst women of childbearing age. Headaches are a very complex condition due to the variety of causes as well as how debilitating headaches can be when not assessed and treated properly.

Often times the reason chronic headaches are not resolved is that the treatment being used for the headache does not match the cause of the headache in the first place. At Miami S+P, the first step we take with every patient suffering from headaches is to determine whether or not the headaches are mechanical in nature or not.

Headaches can be classified as either mechanically induced or non-mechanically induced. Mechanical headaches arise secondary to immobility in either the joints of the cervical spine and/or the local musculature. These headaches often arise due to poor posture, stress, and a lack of movement quality in the joints and muscles of the neck and upper extremity.

These types of headaches are treated with chiropractic manipulation, manual therapy, and movement re-education.
If it is determined that the headaches are not mechanical in nature, that generally means the patient may be suffering from an underlying condition triggering headaches as a symptom.

Non mechanical headaches can develop as a result of stress, fatigue, poor sleep, eyestrain, poor posture, alcohol or drugs, low blood sugar, hormones, constipation, allergies and nutritional deficiencies. For these types of headaches we will generally look into medical history, lifestyle factors, nutrition choices, and blood work analysis. Non-mechanically induced headaches can also be vascular in origin (stroke), neurological origin (carbon monoxide poisoning, dehydration), infection (sinus, ear, dental), viral (meningitis, common flu), or cancer (tumor). These types of headaches can be more serious in nature and a more thorough evaluation is necessary.

Once we determine the deficiency or underlying condition at hand, we can proceed accordingly with the appropriate intervention. At Miami S+P we utilize a combination of manual therapy, lifestyle/ dietary changes, physician grade supplementation, acupuncture and home exercises/stretches to treat this condition. Our goal is to provide you with the necessary care and equip you with the right tools to live a pain free life. We look forward to helping you on your journey to better health!