Headaches

Most people who come to see us about headaches have already tried a few things. They’ve managed with pain relief, adjusted their pillow or cut back on coffee. Sometimes it helps for a bit. But the headaches keep coming back. That’s usually a sign there’s something physical driving them that hasn’t been looked at properly yet.

One of the benefits of seeing an experienced Chiropractor is that we’re not just looking for something to treat. We’re also ruling out anything that isn’t musculoskeletal. If there’s any reason to suspect your headaches aren’t coming from the spine or surrounding structures, we’ll say so. That might mean ordering imaging or referring you to your GP or the appropriate specialist. Getting the right answer matters more than finding something to adjust.

At The Local Chiro we don’t just treat where the pain is. We look at what’s actually causing it and for a lot of people, that’s coming from the neck.

Why the neck matters?

Several types of headaches don’t start in your head at all. The upper cervical spine has a direct relationship with headache activity. When the joints are restricted or the surrounding muscles are overloaded, they can refer pain into the head in very predictable patterns.

Tension headaches work the same way, tight muscles through the neck and shoulders and restricted movement in the upper spine feed the problem.

If your headaches tend to start at the base of your skull, build through the day or come on after long periods of sitting or screen time, there’s a good chance there’s a physical cause worth investigating.

What we look at

Common things we find include:

• Forward head posture from prolonged screen use
• Restricted movement in the upper neck joints
• Tight sub-occipital muscles at the base of the skull
• Stress related jaw and neck tension
• Sleep position habits that load the neck overnight

What care looks like

Your first appointment is thorough. We take a detailed history, look at how your neck is moving and assess your posture before we do anything else. We’ll explain what we find and talk through what care looks like before we proceed.

Treatment is hands on and tailored to you. Depending on what we find it may include Chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue release, dry needling or advice on posture, sleep and screen habits. You can read more on our ‘Our Approach’ page.

Many people are surprised by how quickly things shift once the actual driver of the headache is addressed.

Who we see

We see headache patients of all kinds; desk workers, tradies, parents, students and people who’ve just had enough of pushing through. If headaches are affecting your work, sleep or quality of life it’s worth getting a proper look.

If you’d like to understand more about why headaches come back and what’s physically driving them, read our blog post - Headaches That Keep Coming Back? There is Often a Physical Reason.

Book online or call/text us to discuss what you’ve been experiencing. You don’t have to just keep pushing through.