Headaches and Migraines Specialists in Omaha Nebraska
Suffering from a headache or migraine can be a horrible experience, where sudden pain renders a person unable to carry on with their day. Sometimes, a headache can be just a minor inconvenience, while at other times it can result in hours upon hours of pain. Every year, an estimated 45 million Americans suffer from the onset of headaches, yet only a fifth go to the doctor. This extraordinarily large number of people who suffer from headaches or migraines has almost rendered the problem a common occurrence, which a lot of people don’t look too far into.
This leads to many people relying on painkillers to continue on with their day. Not only is this a bad habit that can seriously damage your health, but it does little to get to the root of the problem. Where your body is experiencing pain, there is very often a reason why. While some headaches are just a reflection of the daily pressures and stresses of life, some can be an early indication of much more serious problems.
There are alternative options for headache and migraine treatment that go further than over-the-counter medication or a trip to the doctor for more specialist painkillers. A visit to a headache and migraine specialist in Omaha, Nebraska, can introduce you to a number of chiropractic treatments that address the underlying cause of headaches or migraines and help relieve the pain. The first step to putting an end to persistent headaches and migraines is to understand the difference between the two commonly mistaken terms.
What Is the Difference Between a Headache and a Migraine?
There is a significant difference between headaches and migraines, despite many people referring to the two conditions interchangeably. Being able to identify which of the two you are suffering from can help to ensure that you get the right treatment, without having to rely on pain relief each time you’re in pain.
Headaches – Headaches are the less severe of the two conditions, but can still be incredibly painful and disruptive to your everyday business. The pain is often isolated to a single area of the head and doesn’t last very long. Headaches are very common, but recurring headaches can have a serious impact on your daily life.
There are two types of standard headaches: cervicogenic and tension. Cervicogenic headaches are more likely to be felt in multiple areas, and the pain is attributed to the neck. Tension headaches create a tightening sensation and tenderness, and are worsened by light and noise.
Migraines – The pain felt during a migraine is generally more severe than with a headache. The pain is typically intense, with a throbbing sensation. Unlike most headaches, a migraine can render a person very quickly unable to perform even the simplest of day-to-day tasks and can persist for a significant length of time.
Common Symptoms of Headaches and Migraines
The symptoms experienced during a headache or migraine can vary in severity and consistency. Each headache or migraine experienced can be very different from the last and may involve more or fewer symptoms. In many cases, the symptoms can help to identify whether the headache or migraine is a result of a much more serious problem.
Some of the most common symptoms to accompany a headache or migraine include:
- Aura – Symptoms surrounding the nervous system, which could include light flashes or visual abnormalities. This can also extend to verbal, sensory, and motor problems.
- Pain in different areas of your head or neck
- Sensitivity to noise, light, touch, or smells
- Nausea
- Light-headedness, which could lead to fainting
Common symptoms felt after a migraine or headache can include:
- Confusion and potential dizziness
- Weakness in the face or body
- Continued sensitivity
- Emotional changes
Common Causes of Headaches and Migraines
Headaches and migraines can be triggered due to a vast range of reasons; these can be because of your everyday life and lifestyle choices, existing conditions, or emotional and psychological problems. The reasons why a migraine may be triggered are normally very different from why a headache may be triggered, which can help to explain the significant difference between the two experiences.
Common causes of migraine triggers include:
- Stress
- Certain food and drinks
- Environmental changes
- Hormones
- Disturbed sleeping patterns
Common causes of headache triggers include:
- Tension Headaches:
- Lack of energy or sleep
- Psychological problems such as anxiety
- Emotional problems such as stress
- Prolonged bad posture
- Cervicogenic Headaches:
- Prolonged bad posture, such as when working at a desk or computer
- Awkward positioning and movements, such as when bending or lifting
Chiropractic Treatment for Headaches and Migraines
Unlike many conditions that are typically brought to a chiropractor in Omaha, Nebraska, headaches and migraines may not cause persistent pain; instead, they cause pain on a regular basis. Due to this, most people think that there isn’t a way to prevent the onset of headaches or migraines and are instead left to suffer. In fact, visiting a headache and migraine specialist in Omaha, Nebraska, can introduce you to a number of treatments that can drastically improve your quality of life.
During a consultation, a headache and migraine specialist in Omaha, Nebraska, will perform an assessment to identify where the underlying cause of your headaches or migraines is, and then work with you to form a treatment plan. If serious problems are identified, your chiropractor can advise you on the medical attention you may need. When the solution can be found through chiropractic care treatments, you can take the next step with your chiropractor.
Often, the solution to preventing headaches and migraines is to treat other areas of the body that can trigger them. Like many common problems brought to a chiropractor, this can involve spinal treatment and manipulation. Spinal manipulation is a form of manual therapy that helps to adjust the spine and realign it. This can also be combined with spinal mobilization, which places a greater emphasis on stretching.
The goal of both techniques is to help mobilize the joints in your neck and allow for a greater range of movement. This stops the nerves in your spine from being irritated, allows your body and your muscles to relax, and helps you feel more relaxed. Many areas of your body can benefit from spinal manipulation, but for headache and migraine relief, it is an effective preventive treatment.
Over time, with regular chiropractic care, you can drastically reduce your chances of triggering a migraine or headache, and even when pain does occur, it can be lower, so it is less disruptive to your day and less stressful on your body. In addition to the initial relief provided by the treatment, ongoing care and rehabilitation can help strengthen your body, lead a healthier lifestyle, and gradually work towards removing many of the triggers of headaches and migraines.
With help from a headache and migraine specialist in Omaha, Nebraska, a tailored plan will be created for you. This will cover your treatment, ongoing exercises, and the most essential parts of your rehabilitation. As everybody is different, having a tailored plan for your personal needs is incredibly important.
Why Are Chiropractic Treatments Better Than Standard Medication?
A big question that many people ask is why chiropractic treatment is better than some medications.
Standard pain relief medication is very effective initially; it helps to reduce or eliminate the pain of a headache and migraine, so that it can be coped with more easily. In day-to-day life, the relief provided by pain medication is invaluable to many, helping them continue on with their day when they were once unable to. While there are often no major problems with taking pain relief very occasionally, there can be problems with prolonged use.
Pain medication that is taken on a very regular basis, to address pain that is persistent, is not healthy for the body. There are many health concerns over the continued use of strong, or even over-the-counter, pain medication, which can result in serious conditions and poor overall health. It also doesn’t address what is really wrong with your body, and what it is trying to tell you by causing pain.
Generally, we feel pain as a warning that we are being injured or that something is wrong. Masking this with pain medication is never going to solve the problem. When you choose to address the problem by visiting a headache and migraine specialist in Omaha, Nebraska, you are listening to what your body needs.
What chiropractic care offers that medication doesn’t is a solution to the root of the problem. By taking away the cause of the problem, the symptoms, such as the pain felt through migraine, will no longer be an issue. While chiropractic care cannot remove every cause, it can address many of the problems in your body that are causing pain, creating a long-term solution.
Why Choose the Omaha Central Chiropractic to Treat Your Headaches or Migraines?
At Omaha Central Chiropractic, we understand how troubling it can be to experience headaches or migraines on a regular basis. The pain felt during a migraine or headache is unique and can cause major upheaval in daily life, so even the simplest tasks can’t be completed. When you visit one of our headache and migraine specialists in Omaha, Nebraska, we will work with you every step of the way to find a solution to the problem.
Our dedicated approach to providing the best customer care and innovative treatments means we leave no stone unturned in diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation. It is our goal to improve your quality of life by providing the highest-quality care to every patient who walks through our doors. When it comes to the pain of recurring headaches and migraines, nobody deserves to suffer, especially when there is long-lasting and effective treatment available.
