Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - "Considering Chiropractic for Headache Relief?...Here's What You Should Know."

Headaches and neck tension remains two of the most common reasons a patient will seek Chiropractic care. But if you're looking for relief from headaches and neck pains, there are some things you should know.

A study conducted by Dr. Peter Tuchin on Migraine treatments found that about 60% of migraine sufferers found relief from Chiropractic. Other researchers have found rates of relief from headaches due to Chiropractic treatments well over 72%. Now one has to remember that headaches come in different forms, and migraines are just one of them. Far more common is the "tension type" headache. These headaches are often associated with neck soreness, shoulder tightness and usually increases with stress.

Chiropractic therapy for headaches in my office involve lots of soft tissue therapy. This entails; stretching of tight neck muscles, trigger point work to relieve intense "knots" and manual massage. I believe there is usually a strong muscular component to pain and one must address the muscles as well as the joints and nervous system in order to get the best relief.

Many patients report relief immediately after a treatment. That's not to say that the headaches just disappears, but subjectively, patients do leave feeling better.

If you are the type of person who is getting regular headaches, here are somethings you should look for;

1) Do you sit in front of a computer for most of you day, typing and looking at a screen?
2) Do you find that under stress, your shoulders/neck get really tight and possibly brings on a headache?
3) Do you find that you feel a whole lot better on vacation or on the weekends when you're away from work and stress?
4) Are you resorting to medications like; Advil or Tylenol to relieve the pain, just to find the pain returns in a few hours?
5) Do your headaches feel as though they start from the back of your neck. Possibly radiating into your head?

If you're answering "yes" to the most of the above questions, the chances are good you're suffering from tension type headaches. If you're tired of resorting to pills for relief and you're searching for a healthier alternative, message or call me!

Remember, if you're in the Commercial Drive neighborhood of Vancouver, you can contact your COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR HERE!!!!>

Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - "Does Chiropractic Hurt?......Honestly."

Ok I know what you're thinking. "You're a Chiropractor. Of course you're going to say it doesn't hurt." But wait a second, I'm not going to say that. Well at least not for everybody.

I have been privileged to meet so many patients over my career that have never seen a Chiropractor before and honestly, many tell me that treatment was no where near as bad as they had expected. However, if a patient does confront me with this question, I often explain it like this, "Are you afraid of needles?". This makes you think doesn't it? While I and many others are fine with getting shots, I know a few who would rather immerse themselves for hours doing their own taxes than get a shot.

I have found that many of my patients do not feel pain at all getting Chiropractic adjustments. They may feel a stretch, a pull, but they definitely don't describe it as pain. Now for a dose of honesty. Many people do report some side effects of treatment. Most commonly these include; soreness, tightness, inflammation and maybe even some bruising. For the vast majority, this is the extent of ill effects many people will report after a Chiropractic adjustment. Now to be honest there have been reported serious side effects of treatment as well. These include fractures of the ribs and most seriously, damage to the vertebral arteries in the neck that may lead to a stroke.

The reported incidences of the serious side effects occurring is very small, some suggesting in the order of 1 for every million treatments. To put that into perspective, you are far more likely to suffer a serious injury driving to work everyday or even by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever.

So obvious question is, "How do you minimize the risk of pain or other side effects?". In my practice, you'll find I devote a lot of time and attention to the muscles. I offer my patients ample massage and stretching of the muscles. Relaxing already tight muscles makes the patient handle the Chiropractic adjustments far more easily. In addition, this measure can help prevent the patient from feeling sore after a treatment.

As far as the other serious side effects of fractures or strokes are concerned, a big part is in the screening process. During a thorough history and exam, a Chiropractor should be able to ask particular questions that can signal a potential problem. Depending on the answers, the Chiropractor should investigate further to reveal other pre-existing factors that might make Chiropractic adjustments ill advised.

Examples of these questions would be, "Have you been diagnosed with Osteoporosis?", "Have you ever been diagnosed with serious illnesses such as cancer?", "Are you experiencing a headache like none before?", "Are you losing you appetite/weight unexpectedly?", "Are you feeling dizzy, lightheaded, having trouble concentrating?"

Remember if you have questions, please get in touch with your COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR.DOMINIC CHAN DC HERE!!