Headaches and migraines.

(Source ACA)

With more than 7 million Australians suffering from debilitating tension headaches, and more than 4.9 million suffering chronic migraine, the economic impact to Australia exceeds $35.7 billion annually.

However, the real cost to headache sufferers is immeasurable.

The burden headaches have on their quality of life robs sufferers of essential relaxation, social activities and precious time with children, family and friends.

During national Spinal Health Week, the Australian Chiropractors Association (ACA) aims to tackle spine related headaches head on by increasing awareness of the painful condition and limit the impact headaches have on the quality of life for over 46% of Australians.

Migraine and tension headaches are the most common headache disorders, but there are many types of headaches, and many triggers that can cause them.

While some headaches are just a mild inconvenience, others can be severe, chronic and have a debilitating effect on the daily life of sufferers.

 “Studies have shown some of the most common causes of headaches are stress and spinal health conditions.

“They may relate to a result of a wide range of activities including sports and exercise; poor posture (at work and home); physical activities (dancing, cycling, shopping, driving, gym, etc.) eye strain (including excessive screen time); dehydration; caffeine dependence and withdrawal; smoking and bright or noisy environments.

“The connection between spinal health conditions (especially of the neck) and headaches is well recognised in research.”

“It’s vital that headache sufferers have their spine examined and if appropriate, seek early, effective drug-free chiropractic care.

Along with some simple lifestyle changes, this can go a long way to relieve pain, reduce the incidence of headache and migraine and help people take back control of their life,” he/she said.

Studies have shown that university trained chiropractors provide reliable, low risk, effective treatment for the three most common types of headaches – tension and cervicogenic (neck related) headaches and migraines with notable improvement in cervicogenic headaches following chiropractic care.

While one study suggested that spinal adjustment of the neck and mid back is more effective than mobilisation and exercise in reducing cervicogenic headaches, another study found chiropractic adjustments reduced migraines in 72 percent of people surveyed and significantly decreased their duration and severity.

ACA President Dr David Cahill said, “Headaches can have huge ramifications in a person’s life.

“They can range from a mild inconvenience that takes the enjoyment out of hobbies and social activities, through to being severe and completely disabling.

“They can reduce productivity in the workplace and impact concentration for students.

“With a range of specialised chiropractic techniques tailored to the individual, consulting an ACA accredited chiropractor is a positive step to providing drug-free solutions to the more common types of headaches and migraines”, Dr Cahill said.

“Often there are lifestyle factors that may contribute to headaches that occur at home or at work.

“These might include diet or sedentary behaviours that a chiropractor can identify during an assessment, enabling sufferers to modify these behaviours to manage headaches or avoid them altogether,” he said.

“While pain medications (prescription and over the counter) may provide temporary relief from headache, it’s often a ‘Band-Aid’ solution that treats the symptoms but not the cause.

“When it comes to managing headaches, best practice should be to look beyond simple relief and see if there is an underlying cause which can be effectively addressed.

“An ACA accredited chiropractor is well educated and equipped to do this,” said Dr Cahill.

To download a free ACA Headache Factsheet, visit spinalhealthweek.org.au.

References:

Available on request.