Headaches are one of the most common reasons patients seek chiropractic care, and one of the most undertreated conditions in conventional medicine. Most headache sufferers manage their symptoms with over-the-counter or prescription medication without ever addressing the underlying cause. For a significant percentage of patients that underlying cause is mechanical, originating in the cervical spine and the muscles of the neck and upper back rather than in the head itself.
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If you have been dealing with frequent headaches and have never had your cervical spine evaluated, there is a reasonable chance you have been treating the symptom rather than the problem.
Types of Headaches Chiropractic Can Help With
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Not every headache has a spinal component, and Dr. Trottier evaluates each patient carefully to determine whether chiropractic care is likely to help before recommending it. The types of headaches that most commonly respond to chiropractic treatment include:
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Cervicogenic headaches originate from restricted joints and muscle tension in the cervical spine. They typically begin at the base of the skull and travel forward over the top of the head or behind the eyes. They are frequently one-sided and are often aggravated by sustained neck positions or physical activity. Cervicogenic headaches are among the most common and most successfully treated headache types in chiropractic practice.
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Tension headaches are characterized by a band-like pressure or tightness around the head and are closely associated with muscle tension in the neck, upper back, and suboccipital region. They respond well to a combination of cervical adjusting and massage therapy targeting the muscles that contribute to the tension pattern.
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Headaches associated with forward head posture develop as a result of the chronic mechanical stress that prolonged screen time and desk work place on the cervical spine. As the head moves forward relative to the shoulders the weight it places on the cervical spine increases dramatically, creating the muscle tension, joint restriction, and nerve irritation that drive headache symptoms in many desk workers.
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How We Treat Headaches
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At Loop Spine & Sports Center headache treatment focuses on the cervical spine and the surrounding musculature. Chiropractic adjusting of the upper cervical and cervicothoracic spine addresses the restricted segments that refer pain into the head and contribute to nerve irritation at the base of the skull. Most headache patients experience significant relief from cervical adjusting, often noticing a reduction in both frequency and intensity within the first several visits.
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Massage therapy is an equally important component of headache treatment here. The suboccipital muscles at the base of the skull, the upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and surrounding cervical musculature are common sources of referred pain into the head. Deep tissue work and trigger point therapy targeting these muscles addresses the soft tissue component of headache patterns that adjusting alone does not fully resolve.
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The combination of chiropractic adjusting and massage therapy produces consistently better outcomes for headache patients than either approach alone, and most patients find that regular care significantly reduces how often headaches occur and how severe they are when they do.
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What to Expect
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Headache patients vary considerably in how quickly they respond to care depending on how long they have been suffering, what type of headache they have, and how significant the cervical spine involvement is. Dr. Trottier will give you a clear picture of what to expect after your first visit examination. For most cervicogenic and tension headache patients the results are meaningful and often faster than they expected.
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Ready to Find the Cause?
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New patients are welcome and can take advantage of our $75 first visit special, which includes a thorough consultation, complete spinal examination, digital x-rays if needed, and a report of findings. No pressure, no obligation. Just an honest conversation about what is going on and whether we can help.
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Loop Spine & Sports Center is located at 30 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 605 in the heart of the Chicago Loop, steps from Millennium Park and accessible from every CTA train line.