If you have a headache, you’re not alone. Nine out often Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occa-sional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing,and some cause debilitating pain and nausea.

What do you do when you suffer from a poundingheadache? Do you grit your teeth and carry on? Liedown? Pop a pill and hope the pain goes away? Thereis a better alternative.

New research shows that spinal manipulation – the pri-mary form of care provided by doctors of chiropractic– may be an effective treatment option for tensionheadaches and headaches that originate in the neck.

A report released in 2001 by researchers at the DukeUniversity Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham,NC, found that spinal manipulation resulted in almostimmediate improvement for those headaches that orig-inate in the neck, and had significantly fewer sideeffects and longer-lasting relief of tension-typeheadache than a commonly prescribed medication.

Also, a 1995 study in the Journal of Manipulative andPhysiological Therapeutics found that spinal manipula-tive therapy is an effective treatment for tensionheadaches and that those who ceased chiropractictreatment after four weeks experienced a sustainedtherapeutic benefit in contrast with those patients whoreceived a commonly prescribed medication.

Headache TriggersHeadaches have many causes, or “triggers.” Thesemay include foods, environmental stimuli (noises,lights, stress, etc.) and/or behaviors (insomnia, exces-sive exercise, blood sugar changes, etc.). About 5 per-cent of all headaches are warning signals caused byphysical problems.

Ninety-five percent of headaches are primaryheadaches, such as tension, migraine, or clusterheadaches. These types of headaches are not causedby disease. The headache itself is the primary concern.

“The greatest majority of primary headaches are asso-ciated with muscle tension in the neck,” says Dr.George B. McClelland, a doctor of chiropractic fromChristiansburg, VA. “Today, Americans engage in moresedentary activities than they used to, and more hoursare spent in one fixed position or posture. This canincrease joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck,upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.”

What Can You Do?The ACA suggests the following:

• If you spend a large amount of time in one fixedposition, such as in front of a computer, on asewing machine, typing or reading, take abreak and stretch every 30 minutes to one

Healthy LivingPatient Information from the American Chiropractic Association

Headaches and Chiropractic

Healthy LivingHeadaches and Chiropractic

hour. The stretches should take your head andneck through a comfortable range of motion.

• Low-impact exercise may help relieve the painassociated with primary headaches. However, ifyou are prone to dull, throbbing headaches,avoid heavy exercise. Engage in such activitiesas walking and low-impact aerobics.

• Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth shouldnever touch the lowers, except when swallow-ing. This results in stress at the temporo-mandibular joints (TMJ) – the two joints thatconnect your jaw to your skull – leading to TMJirritation and a form of tension headaches.

• Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water aday to help avoid dehydration, which can leadto headaches.

What Can a Doctor of Chiropractic Do?Dr. McClelland says your doctor of chiropractic may doone or more of the following if you suffer from a pri-mary headache:

• Perform spinal manipulation or chiropracticadjustments to improve spinal function andalleviate the stress on your system.

• Provide nutritional advice, recommending achange in diet and perhaps the addition of Bcomplex vitamins.

• Offer advice on posture, ergonomics (work pos-tures), exercises and relaxation techniques.This advice should help to relieve the recurringjoint irritation and tension in the muscles of theneck and upper back.

“Doctors of chiropractic undergo extensive training tohelp their patients in many ways – not just back pain,”says Dr. McClelland. “They know how tension in thespine relates to problems in other parts of the body,and they can take steps to relieve those problems.”

Chiropractic Care Can HelpTalk to your doctor of chiropractic about other ways toimprove your lifestyle. Doctors of chiropractic aretrained and licensed to examine and treat the entirebody with specific emphasis on the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. They can also help peoplelead healthier lives by focusing on wellness and prevention.

Avoid the Following Food “Triggers” • Avoid caffeine. Foods such as chocolate,

coffee, sodas and cocoa contain high lev-els of the stimulant.

• Avoid foods with a high salt or sugar con-tent. These foods may cause migraines,resulting in sensitivity to light, noise orabrupt movements.

• Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. Thesedrinks can dehydrate you and causeheadache pain.

• Other headache sufferers may want toavoid not only caffeine, but also high-pro-tein foods, dairy products, red meat andsalty foods.

For more information on preventionand wellness, or to find a doctor ofchiropractic near you, visit ACA’s web-site at www.acatoday.org/patients.

This patient information page is a public service of the Journal of the American Chiropractic Association. Theinformation and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not asubstitute for a diagnosis by a specialist. For specific information concerning your health condition, consult yourdoctor of chiropractic. This page may be reproduced noncommercially by doctors of chiropractic and otherhealthcare professionals to educate patients. Any other reproduction is subject to ACA approval.