Earlier, we discussed how muscle tension, misaligned vertebrae and irritated nerves in the upper back, neck, and jaw can all contribute to headaches. Chiropractic care offers a solution to address these very issues.
Imagine our chiropractors as a skilled mechanic for your body's frame, rebuilding your body from the ground up, using chiropractic adjustments, massage and ultrasound. Using gentle adjustments, massage and therapeutic ultrasound, chiropractors realign and gently improve mobility of your vertebrae, relieving excess stress on muscles and taking pressure off nerves, improving nerve communication.
In many chiropractic offices they use Spinal Manipulation (High-Velocity Low-Amplitude Thrust). This is the more well-known technique and often involves a quick, controlled thrust delivered by the chiropractor's hands to a specific spinal joint to realign a misaligned vertebrae. This movement can sometimes produce an audible "pop" or "crack" sound.
At Dr. Borman and Associates, we rarely use spinal manipulation and exclusively use Spinal Mobilization (Low-Force and Gentle Techniques). This is a gentler approach that involves applying sustained pressure and gradual movements to a specific joint without the quick movements typically associated with chiropractic adjustments. Mobilization is preferred for conditions like severe muscle and joint pain, disc injuries, inflammation, or for patients who may be uncomfortable with or at a higher risk for injuries from the more common quick thrusting motion of manipulation.
Chiropractic mobilization decreases headache pain frequency and intensity by improving the alignment and movement of spinal joints with 4 main goals in mind: promote better muscle function and posture, improve flexibility and range of motion in the spine, reduce pressure on nerves exiting the spine, and alleviate pain and enhance communication within the nervous system.
As chiropractors, we also use various massage techniques. Massage can target those tight, knotted muscles in your neck, upper back, jaw and scalp – common culprits in headaches. By focusing on trigger points and tight muscles in these areas, massage loosens the knots, eases muscle tension, and improves blood flow to the affected area releasing lactic acid, bringing much-needed relief.
Massage isn't just about physical tension either – it's a stress reliever too! Stress, like a bad neighbor, can worsen headaches. Massage can help your body relax and unwind, reducing muscle tension that often builds up with stress.
The last tool - and one of the most powerful we use - is therapeutic ultrasound, a noninvasive treatment that uses sound waves to relieve pain and promote healing. It is commonly used to treat low back pain, neck pain and headaches, as well as other musculoskeletal conditions such as tendonitis, bursitis, and muscle spasms.
The sound waves used in therapeutic ultrasound are in the range of 1 MHz (vibrations at 1 million times per second!). These waves are too high-pitched for humans to hear, but they can penetrate deep into the body. When the sound waves hit tissues, they cause friction like rubbing your hands together really fast, generating heat. This heat can help to reduce muscle tension, reduce pain and inflammation, and promote healing by increasing blood flow to the affected area.
In addition to its thermal (heat) effects, therapeutic ultrasound also has non-thermal effects, due to the vibration of the sound waves. The vibrations help to break up scar tissue and adhesions, and they can also stimulate the production of collagen, which is a protein that helps to repair damaged tissues. Treatment with ultrasound generally feels just like a massage with some warmth or tingling at the treatment site.
At Dr. Borman and Associates, our chiropractors offer a multi-pronged approach to headache relief. By using spinal mobilization techniques to improve joint alignment and nerve communication, massage therapy to ease muscle tension and stress, and therapeutic ultrasound to reduce inflammation and promote healing, chiropractic care is a drug-free solution for treating and preventing headaches and promoting overall well-being.