| The most common pain in America is headache. | | | | vertebrae, are even slightly misaligned, muscle |
| Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on | | | | tension can create painful nerve pressure. |
| several dozen over the counter remedies, each | | | | Now we have emotional tension from the stress, |
| one promising quick relief. But do they deliver? | | | | tight muscles that restrict normal fluid motion of |
| What actually causes headache pain and is there a | | | | the neck bones, impaired movement and nerve |
| cure for the cause? Let's see why our heads hurt. | | | | pressure. It's a perfect recipe for a tension |
| Most headaches are separated into one of several | | | | headache. |
| categories. For the purposes of this article we will | | | | If the vertebrae in the neck are aligned well, you |
| consider the most common and most expensive: | | | | can experience quite a lot of tension and not have |
| tension headache. | | | | it cause you any pain at all. You may be irritated |
| You already have a good idea how this one | | | | and stressed out, but not in physical pain. Well |
| works: it's a hectic day with too many things to | | | | that's good for your pain-free co-worker, but how |
| do, deadlines to meet and what may feel like too | | | | about you. You would like to quit living on what |
| many unreasonable demands - before you know | | | | are for many, dangerous over the counter or |
| it, you have a headache. For some it's a mild ache | | | | prescription medication and take care of the |
| at the base of the skull or forehead, but for | | | | cause of your headache. Then see your |
| others it can be blinding and debilitating pain. | | | | chiropractor. |
| What's actually gone wrong? | | | | Your chiropractor will take a health history, do an |
| Let's start with your head: it weighs 10 to 12 | | | | examination of the nerves that most commonly |
| pounds and sits on top of a column spinal bones | | | | cause tension headache and examine your spine |
| called vertebrae, muscles, ligaments, discs, blood | | | | to see if those nerves are impinged by misaligned |
| vessels, nerves and other tissues covered with | | | | vertebrae. When indicated, spinal x-rays will be |
| skin that form the neck. So far so good, but | | | | taken to see exactly where the spinal bones are |
| when under pressure we can tense up and | | | | misaligned and how to re-align the spine to correct |
| tighten the muscles at the base of the skull, neck | | | | the problem. |
| and shoulders. This causes poor biomechanics, | | | | Chiropractic adjustments can correct the cause |
| restricted movement, the neck vertebrae are | | | | by re-aligning the vertebrae to their normal |
| squeezed tighter together and pain ensues. | | | | position with gentle exercises to strengthen to |
| But why does your co-worker, who's under twice | | | | new and proper positioning. If you would like to |
| the pressure you are, never get a headache? | | | | leave the pain and the drugs behind, chiropractic |
| Tension alone won't cause headache: the | | | | offers a promising solution by dealing with the |
| difference lies in what those tense muscles are | | | | cause of tension headache. |
| attached to and cover. If the neck bones, called | | | | |