Tension Headache in Madison, OH

Most headaches are caused by stress and tension in the neck muscles. The chiropractic services at French Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Madison relaxes tight muscles that cause tension headaches. Our chiropractors offer treatments for tension headaches to the residents of Painesville, Mentor and surrounding towns in Ohio.

While headaches can be brought on due to many reasons, including drug reactions, tightness in neck muscles, high blood pressure, low blood sugar and stress, the vast amount of headaches that reoccur in a person can be divided into two categories. These are known as migraine headaches and tension headaches. Cluster headaches are another type, though much rarer than the other two.

What Are Tension Headaches?

Nearly 75% of people who experience headaches experience tension headaches. Many of those that are affected by a tension headache describe them as producing an achy feeling that can be felt on either one or both sides of their head. The achy feeling is dull and presents itself as a tight band of pain behind the eyes or around the head. When experiencing a tension headache, a person will start to feel a gradual increase in pain that starts towards the middle to end of the day. An increase in the amount of stress you feel or consistent bad posture can create tension headaches, as this puts stress on the upper back and neck areas of the body, which pushes the pain to the head.

These headaches can last anywhere from a half hour to a number of days. There are even times when a tension headache can subsist for a few months. Despite the fact that pain associated with a tension headache is severe in some instances, pain is the only possible symptom.

As mentioned previously, a tension headache is typically triggered by what are known as subluxations that occur in the neck and upper back areas. Once the top cervical vertebrae get out of their position or standard motion, the upper neck muscles spasm and start to send the headache in motion.

There are times when pain can hit certain trigger points within the levator muscle that is situated on the side of a person’s neck. The primary cause for this type of tension headache is typically a whiplash injury caused by a car accident.

Chiropractic Care for Headaches

Our chiropractors at French Chiropractic and Wellness Center typically use their hands to perform certain movements and adjustments that are designed to identify the issues causing the tension headaches in order to reduce them further. If bad posture is the primary issue, the chiropractor will take you through additional exercises aimed at improving your posture.

The treatment that you receive will be applied to the neck area, with the spine a possible area of interest depending on the issues that were detected. A few of the core treatment options include

• Therapy on the soft tissue and massages applied to trigger points that correspond to whichever muscle groups have been affected
• Heat applied to compacted muscles
• Ice applied to joints that have been inflamed
• Therapy for stress and relaxation
• Usage of a pillow if necessary
• Posture and workstation assessments

Before beginning any chiropractic care, you will first go through a full evaluation in order to determine the specific issues affecting you. However, with the vast majority of tension headaches, improvements are made by massaging the two upper cervical vertebrae. In fact, this same treatment option is typically effective for migraine headaches as well.

Isn’t it time you tried chiropractic care for you and your family? If you are experiencing any of the common symptoms of tension headaches, please contact our office now to schedule an appointment.