Most of us get headaches from time to time; they range from mild soreness that goes away within minutes, to throbbing pain that ruins your whole day. I’m Dr. Wall and I want to educate you about what my team at AFC can do to help.
“I just have normal HEADACHES”. This statement is one of the most dangerous and common statements I have heard thousands of patients make over the last 30 years in practice. Is there such a thing as a normal headache? Is there such a thing as a normal heart attack? Is there such a thing as a normal cancer? Let’s discuss headaches. Where do they come from? What are the different types? What are the concerns of what a headache is telling you? Lastly, what should you do with these headaches? There are too many people who mask these headaches with symptom-masking medications in the hope that they are not a sign of a significant underlying health condition!
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The Mayo Clinic Defines a Headache as “Pain in any region of the head” (Mayo Clinic)
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Science Daily says “A headache (cephalgia in medical terminology), is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache.” (Science Daily)
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Columbia University Department of Neurology has a similar definition but explains further that with headaches “The tissues of the brain itself do not hurt because they do not have pain-sensitive nerve fibers. The pain from a headache usually comes from A network of nerves that extends over the scalp as well as certain nerves in the face, mouth, and throat. Muscles and Blood vessels also can play a part in the cause of headaches.” (Columbia University)
No matter how many ways we define or describe a headache, one common factor surfaces at each definition. There is a cause of your headaches. Like any alarm in your home or red light in your car, a headache is a warning sign of something underlying that is not normal. At AFC, we find the cause and get to the root of the problem. Since the network of nerves that extend over the scalp, face, mouth, and throat, originate from your upper back and neck, it only makes sense to consider a neck or upper back treatment for your headaches before taking toxic drugs that never fix the problem.
If you’re tired of the runaround and want to find the root cause of your headaches, we here at AFC Physical Medicine & Chiropractic Centers can solve the problem (and not just mask the symptoms!).
For more information, read Dr. Josh Bock's article on the Top 3 Headaches That Are A Pain. You can also visit Headache Help on our website here.