Five Reasons for Headaches

There are five common headaches that can get awesome relief with specific upper cervical care. If you are suffering with migraines, cluster headaches, tension type headaches, post traumatic headaches, or cervicogenic headaches, you can get results. It does not have to be painful or dangerous to the rest of your body!

5 Reasons People Get Headaches

1. Meningeal torsion and headaches
   
   • The meninges are the tissue that holds your brain in place and keeps it from knocking against your skull. It is made up of the dura, arachnoid and pia matter. The dura matter has a lot of blood vessels running through it and is very sensitive to pain. The dura extends into the spinal canal and protects the spinal cord. Any twisting or torsion of the dura shows up as a headache.
   • The back of your eye is attached to the dura. As the dura starts to twist, it pulls on the eye. That makes a lot of sense to a headache sufferer, because they often can feel the headache coming on by how their eyes feel.
2. Blood supply and headaches
   • The brain and meninges are supplied with oxygen and nutrients from the internal carotid, vertebral basilar and external carotid arteries. If those arteries are constricted or dilated at the wrong time, a headache results. Meningeal blood vessels are very sensitive to pain. It is generally recognized that the development of headaches depends upon the activation of these sensitive nerves.
   • The blood supply to the head is regulated by the top three nerves in the neck. Any misalignment to the upper neck can affect the overall health of the head. Sometimes an unhealthy head is called a headache.
3. Trigeminal Autonomic Reflex and headaches
   • Dilated meningeal blood vessels send pain signals to the brain through a branch of nerves from the Trigeminal Nerve. These nerves then send signals to the Trigeminal Ganglion and connect in the neck. Nerves then send signals to the thalamus and higher brain centers where they are perceived as pain.
   • The Trigeminal Nucleus is in both the skull and spinal cord. Again, any misalignment to the upper neck can have a negative effect on the way those nerves work and feel.
4. Facial nerve and headaches
   • Similar to the Trigeminal nerve, the Facial nerve has synapses in the cervical region of the spine. All sensory nerves of pain to the face synapse in the Trigeminal Nucleus we talked about above.
5. Cerebral Spinal Fluid and headaches
   • CSF is made in your brain, travels through sinuses protected by the dura mater, through the spine and back into the brain to run off into the jugular vein.
   • Any interruption in the flow of the CSF can result in a pressure n\backup and irritate the dura matter and all of the sensitive nerves in the head. Upper cervical alignment is key to proper CSF flow.

In each of the above causes of headaches, there is one common denominator... the upper cervical spine.

A subluxation of the top vertebrae of the neck can:

• Cause tension and torsion on the meninges
• Cause changes in blood pressure and size of blood vessels in the head
• Interfere with nerve input and output of the Trigeminal Nerve and the Facial Nerve
• Impair normal CSF flow throughout the head and spine

Upper cervical chiropractic adjustments can help people with headaches:

• Restore balance to the meninges that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord
• Enable proper function of the nerves that control blood flow to the head
• Take pressure away from the Trigeminal Nucleus of the spine
• Restore proper sensory nerve input from the face to the brain
• Allow the CSF to flow properly and avoid any pressure back-ups

At DiLorenzo Chiropractic, Dr. Matt specializes in the specific correction of the upper cervical subluxation. We used detailed analysis and digital x-rays to pinpoint the most specific way to restore balance to the spine and spinal cord. 

If you suffer from headaches and would like to see how chiropractic care can help you, call our office today. We would be glad to provide you with a free consultation to see how we can help you feel better.