Chiropractic as an Alternative to Headache Suffering in Chanhassen, MN

If you experience headaches, you’re not alone. 9 out of 10 Americans suffer from headaches, whether they are frequent, occasional, dull, throbbing or even cause debilitating pain.

You need to know that you don’t have to continue to suffer with the pain or even take pain medications to cope. There is a safe and effective alternative: Chiropractic. Adjustments can significantly improve your headache suffering!

Study Shows Chiropractic Care Helps Headaches

A study published in the February 2010 issue of The Spine Journal provided additional evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of chiropractic for certain types of headaches known as “cervicogenic headaches”. A report on the results of this study was also published online on February 26, 2010, on the site “Modern Medicine”.

In this study, 80 patients with chronic cervicogenic headaches were divided into three groups. Two of the groups received various forms of chiropractic adjustments, which the study authors called Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT), and one group received a light massage. Results were calculated using standard pain scales. Data from the subjects was collected every 4 weeks for a 24-week period.

The researchers found that the groups that received chiropractic treatments showed significantly greater improvement in pain scores as compared to the group that received light massage without SMT. Those receiving the chiropractic care were more likely to have a 50-percent improvement in their pain. The two groups of patients who received chiropractic care were given either 8 or 16 chiropractic sessions. The study did see a slightly better response for the group receiving more adjustments, but due to the study parameters, no data was available beyond 16 visits.

Dr. Mitch Haas and a team of researchers at Western States Chiropractic College, were quoted in their conclusion as saying, “Our pilot study adds to an emerging picture of spinal manipulation for the treatment of headaches. It showed that a plateau in intervention effect might be found in the range of eight to 16 treatment sessions, although a dose effect at these treatment levels cannot be ruled out. The study also adds to the support of spinal manipulative therapy in moderate doses as a viable option for the treatment of chronic cervicogenic headaches.”

Additional Studies

“Cervical spine manipulation was associated with significant improvement in headache outcomes trials involving patients with neck pain and/or neck dysfunction and headache.”
– Duke Evidence Report, McCrory, Penzlen, Hasselblad, Gray (2001)

“The results of this study show that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches . . . Four weeks after cessation of treatment . . . the patients who received spinal manipulative therapy experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in all major outcomes in contrast to the patients that received amitriptyline therapy, who reverted to baseline values.”
– Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Boline et al. (1995)

What to do next:

If you experience headaches, give Family Focus Chiropractic a call at (952) 474-1949. You don’t have to continue suffering. If you’ve never experienced the amazing benefits of chiropractic before, now is the time. We take great pride in explaining the treatment in detail and making sure you are comfortable and relaxed with the process.