For frequent sufferers of headaches, relief may be as close as their chiropractor's office. While once only thought to be an alternative treatment, recent studies show that chiropractic care is not only highly effective in treating headache pain but also in preventing the recurrence of headaches. In some cases, it has even been preferable to medical treatment.

A recent Duke University study has shed new light on the effectiveness of chiropractic spinal manipulation in the treatment and prevention of headaches. Researchers determined that the spinal manipulations of chiropractic pain management were highly effective in treating cervicogenic headaches, where pain originates in the cervical spine, neck, and upper shoulders.

The study also suggested similar results for tension headaches in which pain affects one or both sides of the skull. Chiropractic spinal manipulation resulted in immediate reduction in headache pain in cervicogenic headaches. Spinal manipulation treatments decreased the frequency and severity of tension headaches as well.

Duke researchers also found that compared to the group in the study that used a drug commonly prescribed for headaches, the group that was treated only with spinal manipulation experienced greater benefits. Not only did they experience an extremely low level of adverse effects (only 4% compared to 82% for the group who took the drug), but once the spinal manipulation treatments had ended, the group reported they felt significantly better and experienced fewer headaches and less headache pain than the group who had taken the drug.

Chiropractic adjustments have also been shown to be extremely effective in the treatment of migraine headaches where sufferers experience profound cranial pain along with light sensitivity and often nausea or vomiting. In a recent Macquarie University study, over 60 percent of migraine headache sufferers reported feeling significant relief of their headaches after spinal adjustment. Many of those patients later reported their migraines had stopped entirely.

There are many reasons why chiropractic care is effective in the treatment of headaches. Because misalignments of the vertebrae of the spinal column are a common cause of the various types of headaches, gentle, highly skilled spinal adjustments are key to relieving headache pain and preventing future headaches.

Chiropractic is safe, natural care that does not use drugs or invasive treatments such as surgery. It works on the premise that it is not the condition itself being treated (i.e.; the headache) but the body as a whole being helped to heal itself. Because chiropractic does not provide the instant reduction of symptoms as with medication, results are often slower to manifest. However, the cause of the pain is far more likely to be diagnosed and treated as part of the chiropractic treatment process. In this sense, healing through chiropractic care does not simply treat the symptoms of the headache but instead promotes the healing of everything in the sufferer's body that may be causing it.

As the relevance and effectiveness of chiropractic's role in pain management is further explored we will likely see more studies to show how chiropractic care and promotion of whole-body healing will not only alleviate the pain and frequency of headaches but many other ailments and illnesses that affect the human body as well.