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 just be a minor inconvenience, while 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 amount of people that suffer from headaches or migraines have almost rendered the problem a common occurrence, that 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 pain killers. A visit to a headache and migraine specialist in Omaha Nebraska can introduce you to a number of chiropractic care treatments that address the underlying cause of the headaches or migraines and help to relieve the pain. The first step to putting an end to persistent headaches and migraines, is to understand what the difference is 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 in terms of isolated incidents, but recurring headaches can have a serious impact on your daily life.

There are two types of standard headache; 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, as well as being worsened by light and noise.

Migraines – The pain felt during a migraine is generally more severe than with a headache. The pain is normally intense, with the sensation of throbbing. 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 to the last and may involve more or less 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 to why a headache may be triggered, which can help to explain the significant difference between the two experiences.

Common causes of migraines triggering include:
Common causes of headaches triggering include:
  • Stress
  • Certain food and drinks
  • Environmental changes
  • Hormones
  • Disturbed sleeping patterns

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 normally brought to a chiropractor in Omaha Nebraska, headaches and migraines may not cause persistent pain, but instead cause pain to occur 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. Where serious problems are identified, your chiropractor will be able to give you advice and guidance as to the medical attention that you may need. When the solution can be found through chiropractic care treatments, you can take the next step with your chiropractor.

Oftentimes, the solution to preventing headaches and migraines is treating other areas of the body that can cause migraines and headaches to occur. Like many common problems brought to a chiropractor, this can involve spinal treatment and the practice of 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 has a heavier focus 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 to relax, and your muscles strengthen. Many areas of your body can benefit from spinal manipulation, but in terms of headache and migraine relief, it is an effective prevention treatment.

Overtime, with regular chiropractic care treatments, you can drastically reduce your chances of triggering a migraine or headache, and even then, the pain suffered can be lower, so it is not as disruptive to your day and stressful to your body. In addition to the initial relief of the treatment, ongoing care and rehabilitation can help to strengthen your body, lead a healthier lifestyle, and gradually work towards removing many of the triggering causes of headaches and migraines.

With help from a headache and migraine specialist on 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 is chiropractic treatment better than some medication?

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 more easily be coped with. In day to day life, the relief of pain medication is invaluable to many, helping them to continue on with their day where they once were 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 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 there is a problem. 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 those problems in your body that are in trouble and causing pain because of it, 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 that is felt through a migraine or headache is very unique and can cause major upheaval to daily life, so that 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, mean that we leave no stone unturned when it comes to diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation. It is our goal to help improve your quality of life by providing the highest quality of care to every patient that walks through our doors. When it comes to the pain of reoccurring headaches and migraines, nobody deserves to suffer, especially when there is long-lasting and effective treatment available.

If you are experiencing regular migraines or headaches, then we highly advise you to contact our team at the Omaha Central Chiropractic. With a treatment plan tailored to your needs, we can help put those prevention methods in place to make persistent headaches and migraines a thing of the past.