Commercial Drive - East Vancouver Chiropractor; Dr. Dominic Chan DC - "Headaches? What Your Body May Be Telling You"

This is a problem I see a lot of in my clinic. For the most part I can often diagnose associated tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders. In addition to tell tale trigger points and observations relayed by the patient, Tension type headaches is the usual diagnosis.

Tension type headaches are often associated with; stress, poor posture, lack of exercise/stretching, activities etc. They often feel like they start at the back of the neck and may radiate to other parts of the head, including the face. Many patients report suffering from these headaches in significant times of stress or due to spending too much time on a computer. After ruling out serious problems involving the joints of the cervical spine or nerves, we can do a lot to give these headache sufferers much relief. I also advise appropriate stretches and postural changes that can also offer great improvements.

Now the other common types of headaches that I see in practice are migraines. Migraines are often debilitating, intense headaches that can be associated with the following; sensitivity to light/sound, a visual disturbance (Aura), nausea and a pounding/throbbing type pain.

Migraines are vascular in nature meaning they may not be related to muscle tension. In fact research shows that migraines may have other triggers that you many not have thought of before such as; certain foods (ie. chocolate, caffeine), hormonal changes, loud sounds, bright lights, depression, strong odors etc.

But regardless of the cause, pay attention to your headaches because they might be trying to tell you something! "A headache can be a symptom of a simple organic disorder, a serious or complicated disorder, or it can be individually characteristic, like a tension headache or a migraine," said Dr. Seymour Diamond, director of the Diamond Headache Clinic and director of the inpatient headache unit at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago. "There are multiple causes or variations of headaches."

"The headache can be a message from your body," Beck said. "You don't want to just treat the headache with medicine. You want to play detective and figure out what is causing the headache."

Now a word of caution; the two types of headaches mentioned above are most common in my practice, however there are other, more serious causes of headaches. Therefore if your headache is associated with the following, make sure you get your family doctor to check it out or even visit the emergency room.

The list includes headaches associated with; serious trauma (car accident, sports injury), a headache that doesn't respond to medication, a headache like you've never experienced before, one that wakes you up from sleep, one accompanied by a fever and a headache that involves confusion or nerve symptoms.

As the headline suggests, don't ignore your headaches!! It may be your body's way of telling you that somethings wrong. Make sure you pay attention to it and tell your doctor/Chiropractor all the details involved with your headache. Often times a Chiropractor can offer you significant relief with your headaches, even giving you tips on how to avoid one all together! But if there is something more serious behind your headaches, a Chiropractor can shed some light on that too.

If you're in the Commercial Drive neighborhood of East Vancouver, stop by or visit the website here;COMMERCIAL DRIVE - EAST VANCOUVER CHIROPRACTOR; DR. DOMINIC CHAN DC!