HEADACHES
There are many causes of headaches. Serious causes range from very high blood pressure, strokes, particularly when caused by bleeding inside the head, all the way to brain cancer. All these are rare. Two very common causes of headache are migraine and “tension” headache. At times, a “tension” headache can evolve into a migraine. If your headache is made worse by moving your head, or by pressing on the areas marked with a star, there is a good chance that your headache is due to over lax ligaments and tendons in the neck. Pressing on these loose ligaments and tendons will cause pain. Your headache may have been labeled as a “tension” headache, meaning it is caused by an excessive contraction of the muscles of your head and neck. It is likely the spasm was due to these muscles attempting to stabilize your head and neck because the ligaments and tendons are loose causing the vertebrae to be unstable.
Physiotherapy may help this kind of headache by improving your posture and strengthening the muscles which stabilize your head and neck. Unfortunately, it is impossible to strengthen ligaments and tendons with exercise. Since your muscles are pulling on these weakened ligaments and tendons, your symptoms are likely to recur.
Chiropractors may realign your neck, but if your head and vertebrae are not solidly stacked and held together one on top of the other by strong ligaments and tendons, it is likely your headache will recur as they once again slip out of place.
Acetaminophen, Tylenol and anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin all relieve the symptoms that occur with overstretched ligaments and tendons. They relieve inflammation which is a cause of pain. Unfortunately, inflammation is the mechanism the body uses to repair itself, and using these medications interferes with the process which would help regrow the affected ligaments and tendons. Anti-Inflammatory References
Narcotics can be used to deaden the pain and do not interfere with inflammation, but they can be addictive and should be used very sparingly.
If you have tried all of those and still experience pain, you may want to try prolotherapy. There is a good chance that prolotherapy can bring you relief from your headaches.
Can prolotherapy help these headaches? Prolotherapy, a series of injections of growth promoting substances has been shown to be effective in stimulating the growth and repair of ligaments and tendons. Injections to the head and neck ligament and tendon insertions strengthen and thicken them. These stronger ligaments and tendons will help restore the stability of your head on your neck and help correct the cause of these headaches.
Click here for more information on what prolotherapy is, how prolotherapy works , what conditions respond to it when should you avoid it what are the risks what are the benefits how long does it last how much does it cost the prolotherapy consent form who is Dr. Bertrand as well as testimonials and how to get to Dr. Bertrand's office.