For some people, headaches are a normal part of life. For others, they are an occasional occurrence that is not a cause for concern. But if you have frequent headaches accompanied by neck or shoulder pain, it could be time to have a professional check your upper cervical spine’s health. Let’s discuss how those seemingly innocent and totally detached pains are some of the main triggers of your migraine attacks.
Table of Contents
Neck pain, shoulder pain, and migraine headaches can all be caused by muscle strain or arthritis. Muscle strain results from overusing the muscles in your neck and shoulders without giving them enough time to rest. This causes inflammation in your joints and surrounding tissues.
You may have a migraine if you experience throbbing pain, which tends to be more intense on one side of your head. The pain can worsen when you move around and can be triggered by numerous factors like stress, lack of sleep, and hormonal changes.
These symptoms can make it challenging to work and do daily activities, so it’s important to know what causes them and how they’re treated. That way, you can get relief from these painful headaches before they start—or even prevent them altogether!
Neck pain is the ache felt in the bridge connecting your skull to your body. Its symptoms include:
Headache with neck pain: A headache that is often present on one side of your head and calms with rest or over-the-counter medication is called a tension headache. If you have these types of headaches, they may be caused by muscles that are too tight and pulling on nerves. Your doctor can prescribe medicines to make them go away faster.
Shoulder pain is felt around the base of your neck and spreads through your blades and even to your arms at times. Symptoms can include:
Do you have any of these symptoms? You are not alone.
Your neck and shoulders are major parts of your upper cervical spine. Their relation to your migraine is due to their positioning and association with the major nerves and muscles that also play a part in the chances of triggering a migraine.
Neck and shoulder pain are very common. In fact, neck and shoulder pain are adults' most common musculoskeletal problems. The muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support your head can become strained or sprained due to poor posture, injury, repetitive motion such as typing on a computer, or aging. Migraines, on the other hand, can be caused by many factors that include stress hormones, which increase blood flow to the brain, as well as muscle tension which contracts blood vessels, making it harder for oxygenated blood to reach the brain, then causing severe headaches.
When muscles get tight, they cause inflammation throughout the body, causing migraine headaches along with other symptoms such as fatigue and nausea.
If you see a doctor for neck or shoulder pains and mention that you also have frequent headaches, your doctor will likely suggest that you meet with an upper cervical spine chiropractor for some chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractors trained in Upper Cervical techniques can help alleviate the pressure on nerves in your neck and shoulders, which may be causing your headaches. Additionally, Upper Cervical Care is effective for migraine sufferers because it can realign vertebrae that have become misaligned due to lifestyle factors like poor posture or previous injuries.
Chiropractors can greatly help address the cause of your symptoms rather than just masking the pain with medications. Once your neck and shoulders are in proper alignment, you may notice several health benefits, including reduced headaches, better sleep, and improved range of motion.
It is important to note the value of having a credible chiropractor when it comes to adjusting your upper cervical spine. That is because one wrong move or a miscalculation of an inexperienced one can paralyze a person. Finding the right chiropractor near you can be difficult, but it's worth it—your body needs care from someone with experience treating migraines. The best way you can do it is by visiting this directory. It has the most comprehensive list of credible and trusted Upper Cervical chiropractors in America.
to schedule a consultation today.
TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
