Headaches are one of the most common disorders of the nervous system. It affects an estimated 47% of adults during the last two years. Headaches can place a significant burden on your quality of life and financial health. They are usually misdiagnosed by healthcare practitioners. In general, they are underestimated, under-recognized, and under-treated around the world. So, does chiropractic help headaches?
Chiropractic Care
There are many studies that show chiropractic care helps those who suffer from headaches. In a review of past research studies, chiropractic treatment of adults with different types of headaches revealed very positive findings. Researchers note that chiropractic care helps those with episodic or chronic migraine headaches, cervicogenic headaches, and tension-type headaches. There are additional benefits when chiropractic adjustments are with massage, mobilization, and/or adding certain types of exercises. In the studies that discussed adverse or negative effects of treatment, researchers noted no serious adverse effects.
For athletic injuries, particularly post-concussion headache (PC-HA), chiropractic care is very important in the patient’s recovery. An estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related brain injuries occur each year and approximately 136,000 involve young high school athletes.
Headaches Study
Several published case studies report significant benefits for post-concussion patients after receiving chiropractic treatment. Some included PC-HA from motor vehicle collisions, as well as from slips and falls. For example, one described an improvement in symptoms that included deficits in short-term memory and attention problems. In this particular study, a 6-year-old boy fell from a slide on the playground. After 18 months of continuous problems, he underwent a course of chiropractic care. After three weeks of care, his spelling test scores improved from 20% to 80%. More benefits were observed by the eighth week of care!
Another case study looked at a 16-year-old male teenager with a 5-week-old football injury. He had daily headaches and “a sense of fogginess” (concentration difficulties). He also reported significant improvement after the second visit. After the fifth visit, he improved with near-complete symptom resolution within two weeks of care. After 7 weeks of care, he successfully returned to normal activities, including playing football.
Dizziness and vertigo are also common residuals from concussions. They were present in a 30-year-old woman just three days following a motor vehicle accident. She also complained of headaches, neck pain, back pain, and numbness in both arms. The case study noted significant improvement after 9 visits within an 18-day time frame.
