Relieving Tension Headaches Without Drugs

Relieving Tension Headaches Without Drugs

A tension headache is a dull (or maybe not so dull in some cases!), aching pain that may feel like a tight band around the head or a clamp on the skull. These headaches may be referred to as episodic if they occur fewer than 15 days a month and chronic if they are more frequent. I really refer to them as a pain in your ‘you know what’ when you got one!

It’s thought that these headaches are triggered by stress, either a single stressful incident or ongoing stress. Of course, stress is hard on every system of the body, including immunity, and a tension headache is just one of the symptoms that show up as a result.

A person suffering from a tension headache may use these terms when describing the problem:

  • Mild to moderate pain
  • Pressure on the temples, back, top, or front of the head
  • Neck pain
  • Fatigue
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Muscle pain
  • Accompanied by irritability
  • Accompanied by a pain in you know what!

What makes these headaches particularly problematic is the fact that a tension headache can last for months. If they last a short time but come back frequently, they still significantly impair the quality of a person’s life.

What’s the Cause of These Headaches? 

The sad thing about tension headaches, especially for those who suffer from this problem, is that medical science doesn’t know the exact cause. If they don’t know the cause, then they do not have effective treatments to eliminate them except to tell you to take Motrin, Ibuprofen, aspirin, etc.

Medical sources of information make suggestions like using over-the-counter pain relievers, cold packs, or drinking something caffeinated. These actions may help temporarily, but they don’t come near to remedying the cause.

If you’re seeking relief from chronic tension headaches, the right place to start is with your regular doctor to rule out any serious sources of this pain. A sudden or extremely severe headache should always result in an immediate trip to the emergency room.

For Many, Chiropractic Offers a Lasting Solution

The chiropractic community has learned that adjustments can relieve many tension headaches because the source of the pain is often misalignments of the vertebrae in the neck. Our necks are not always sturdy enough to stand up to everything we put them through, like small traumas in daily life, staring at our phones, poor posture, bad beds, too many pillows on the bed, bad workplace ergonomics, and more.

That’s what makes chiropractic adjustments such a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. Adjustments restore proper alignment and curve to the neck so that our muscles and nerves are not being stressed. Many people will find that this care can provide relief from tension headaches.

Heck, I have been in practice now for 28 years and I can tell you that Pressure Point Therapy and Chiropractic Adjustments are the bomb for this condition, i.e., tension headaches.

Keep Getting Tune-ups

Remember, chiropractic care isn’t something you do once and then never go back. Once you get the alignment of your neck corrected, you’re still going to encounter those small traumas. Like the time you slept on your aunt’s couch or the falls you took trying ice skating after 20 years. Go ahead and sleep the night on your aunt’s couch and enjoy your first time in years ice skating, but remember to keep your spine tuned up with chiropractic adjustments. That’s how you can find lasting relief from tension headaches or other ailments that might have their causes directly from your spine!

I have had great success in treating tension headaches with Chiropractic adjustments and Pressure Point Therapy. Pressure Point Therapy addresses tight, blocked and painful points in the body and accelerates recovery from such problems as tension headaches. Couple this with Chiropractic adjustments to remove the pinched nerves and you begin to FEEL BETTER AGAIN like maybe you haven’t felt in years!  Don’t think that you have to live in pain!

So, if you’re suffering from tension headaches, I hope you’ll stop by my office soon. Let’s find the cause of the problem and eliminate it so you can stop suffering and really feel better again for real! Give us a call at (314) 635-1008 to schedule an appointment.

By Dustan Mattingly, July 12, 2022