Struggling with Headaches in Dardenne Prairie?

It’s amazing how many people walk through the doors of Midwest Family Wellness and are experiencing multiple headaches per week. Headache complaints definitely seem to be on the rise. In fact, 9 out of 10 Americans have suffered from one at some point in their life. Not only that, but they have almost given up the hope that their body will ever become free of them. They figure that they are going to just be with them for the rest of their life. Here at our chiropractic office, our doctors educate these patients on how the body operates, let these sufferers know that this isn’t normal, and finally give them the hope they need that the pain can be conquered. Headache relief at our chiropractic clinic may be the solution you are looking for.

Headaches and Migraines in Dardenne Prairie

There are hundreds of different causes of headaches that our headache doctors can treat, but 90% of these are structural factors. Many of these structural factors can be traced back to the neck, upper back, and TMJ (jaw). Misalignments in the spine, known as subluxations, are a well-documented source of headaches. These subluxations cause tension in the muscles and ligaments which refer pain into the head. Not only that, but these subluxations interfere with the nervous system, which in turn disrupts proper communication. A few of the specific types that can be alleviated through chiropractic care are: tension, migraine, sinus, cluster, and headaches that come from whiplash after an auto injury. Believe it or not, sometimes our  pediatrics patients can be the cause because of the stress put on the body during and after pregnancy.

The alleviation of the pain can mean a lot of different things. Some patients are able to stop taking the medication they have used for years to help mask the pain. For some it means they are able to have their first pain-free day of work in years. Still others are able to get back to some of the recreational activities around that these severe headaches were preventing them from doing.

Chiropractic Treatment for Headaches and Migraines

When patients with any one of these first enter our office we perform a complete consultation and examination. We start by running through a complete health history. Some of the structural factors we are looking for in the patient’s history, that can lead to the pain, are car accidents (whiplash), sports injuries, repetitive motions, sitting at a desk most of the day, and physical work. After reviewing the history we run the appropriate tests. These tests will include thermography, spinal range of motion, static EMG, orthopedic tests, palpation, and x-rays.

After all the data is collected, a complete analysis is performed. The focus of this analysis is to discover if the headache patient has subluxations and whether these particular subluxations are the cause. Not only are we looking for individual subluxations, but we are checking global alignment as well. Many times a lack of the proper lordotic curve (C curve) in the neck and/or forward head posture can lead to aggressive head pain. Once this full analysis is completed, we can then give the patient our full findings and recommendations.

Our full recommendations are always tailored to each individual’s health needs. The recommendations may include, but aren’t limited to: chiropractic adjustments, muscle relaxation techniques, trigger point therapy, cryotherapy, cervical traction, stretches, exercises, nutritional advice and massage. At Midwest Family Wellness we have had terrific results with our patients who have followed our full recommendations.

How we can help

Realizing that there are those other contributing factors, we also educate our patients, and the general public, on other ways to ensure that the headaches stay away. We teach patients healthy and effective ways to alleviate the stress they may be experiencing at home or at work. The doctors provide them with tips to get a better night’s sleep. We find that most people do not get the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. We help guide people towards eating healthier and what foods may be a trigger for certain types of headaches. Within the nutrition topic we also promote the consumption of adequate amounts of water. Most people don’t realize that their body requires half of their body weight (lbs.) in ounces of water per day. All of these factors can also have an effect on the frequency and severity of their headaches.

If more Americans knew the positive effects that chiropractic care can have on multiple types of headaches, we would be in better shape not just in St Charles and Wentzville but as a country as a whole. Combined medical costs, work time loss, and decreased productivity due to headaches are estimated to impact the U.S. economy by more than $20 billion each year. Approximately 12-18% of the population suffers from some type of, with women being 3 times more likely to suffer from migraines than men. If you, or a friend, have been dealing with headaches for years, it’s time to see the results you can achieve through chiropractic care. Our headache doctors can help remove the source of the problem.