What Causes Headaches and How a Framingham Chiropractor Can Help

Headaches are one of the most common types of pain that people experience on a regular basis. Researchers estimate that nine out of ten Americans suffer from headache pain at some point, helping to put the sales of pain medication through the roof.


Both the frequency and severity of headaches vary greatly from individual to individual. They range from occasional to near-constant and from mild to throbbing. Some are bad enough to cause nausea and become debilitating, keeping the sufferer from being able to work and enjoy leisure activities. Although painkillers are usually the first resort for those suffering from a headache, chiropractic care can help lessen both the incidence and severity of this condition.


The largest percentage of headaches (approximately 95%) fall into a category referred to as primary headaches. These are typically caused by tension in the muscles in the neck area or a misalignment (subluxation) of the neck vertebrae. A primary headache refers to the kind of headache that is not a symptom of some other underlying illness. According to Dr. Austrager , a chiropractor in Framingham, Massachusetts, Today, Americans engage in more sedentary activities than they used to, and more hours are spent in one fixed position or posture. This can increase joint irritation and muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.


The root cause of headaches due to both tension and misalignment is nerve irritation. The nerve fibers at the base of the neck that connect with the spinal cord and brain become irritated due to muscle tension or to misaligned vertebrae pressing on the spinal cord. A study performed by researchers at the University of Maryland found that there was a link between tension in the muscles at the base of the neck and headache pain.


In a study conducted by the New Zealand government, the majority of those suffering recurrent headaches from spinal misalignment found that their headaches were relieved by chiropractic manipulation, and many were found to still be pain-free in the two-year follow-up. A study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeuticsfound that spinal manipulation such as that used by chiropractors is more effective and longer-lasting for treating tension headaches than the use of commonly prescribed pain medication.


Your chiropractor can perform a thorough examination to identify the cause of your headache pain. Depending on your specific circumstances, he or she may then perform a chiropractic adjustment to take the pressure off irritated nerves, easing headache pain. Your chiropractor can also offer recommendations as to diet, exercise and ergonomics, along with proper posture and relaxation techniques to keep neck tension to a minimum.


Dr. Austrager, a Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist, says, Doctors of chiropractic undergo extensive training to help their patients in many ways not just back pain. They know how tension in the spine relates to problems in other parts of the body, and they can take steps to relieve those problems. Dr. Austrager can be reached at 508-620-1585 or via his website www.metrowestspineclinic.com.

Why Does Back Pain Tend to Recur?

In a recent Consumer Reports survey, 88% of more than 14,000 subscribers who had lower back pain indicated that it had recurred during the prior 12 months. While other academic studies suggest that recurrence may be somewhat less widespread-perhaps affecting between a third and half of all back pain sufferers-it's very clear that many people experience back pain as a recurring problem.

Professor Doune Macdonald and fellow researchers at the University of Queensland in Brisbane were interested in learning why some people experienced a recurrence of their back pain while others did not. Their investigation found an association between recurrence of low back pain and altered muscle activity in the deep muscle fibers of the lumbar spine. These muscles are also referred to as your "core" muscles, the ones that are most targeted in Pilates training. Your core muscles give strength, balance and stability to the back, and consist of muscles in the lower back, abdomen and pelvis. 

The most important of the core muscles for the stability of your back are the multifidus. These run along the length of the spine and help to take some of the pressure off the vertebral discs so that weight is more evenly distributed along the length of the back. When working properly, the multifidus muscles are activated even before any movement takes place, so as to protect the spine against injury from a sudden load of weight (such as when lifting a heavy box or bending over to tie your shoes). 

According to a study published in the journal Pain in 2009, Macdonald and colleagues found that the multifidus muscles showed later activation in those with recurrent low back pain than in the backs of healthy subjects. Any delay in muscle activation can be a potential problem, as a sudden loading of weight on the spine when it is unprepared can lead to abnormal bending and twisting of the spine, increasing the risk of injury.

Possessing strong multifidus muscles is one of the obvious solutions to preventing the occurrence of low back pain. However, part of the problem is that once this set of muscles has been injured, the multifidus tends to atrophy due to disuse while the patient is healing. Prolonged bed rest is one of the worst ways to recover from low back pain because it encourages the multifidus to atrophy even further. 

Chiropractic care that includes rehabilitation exercises and spinal adjustments has been shown to improve the function of the multifidus muscles. Your chiropractor can suggest exercises you can do at home that will strengthen your core muscles in between adjustments. The adjustments themselves will align your spine so that it functions properly and will not put excess strain on the supporting multifidus, thus reducing the likelihood of a recurrence of low back pain. 

Dr. Austrager has been practicing in Framingham, MA for over 14 years. His practice is Metrowest Spine Clinic and it is located at 235 Walnut St in Framingham. The office can be reached at 508-620-1585 or you can request an appointment at www.metrowestspineclinic.com.