Treating Your Headaches

At the Zumstein Chiropractic Clinic, Dr. David Zumstein and his team provide natural and effective chiropractic services to Franklin, WI, residents for headaches and other neuromusculoskeletal complaints.

What Is a Headache, and Why Do We Get Them?

A headache is pain and/or discomfort in the head or face. The pain we experience may feel like it’s coming from your brain, but the reality is that the nerves in your brain aren’t pain-sensitive. This means the pain signals are likely coming from the muscles, nerves, and blood vessels around your head.

There are two classes of headaches:

• Primary headaches, where the headache is the main problem.
• Secondary headaches, where the headache is a symptom of a deeper underlying condition.

What Is the Difference Between a Headache and a Migraine?

There are three main types of headaches and these are:

• Tension headaches which are usually due to stress, tiredness, hunger, tight muscles, or caffeine withdrawal.
• Cluster headaches are a series of headaches, occurring over an extended period.
• Migraines are very severe headaches with additional symptoms.

The primary difference between a headache and a migraine is that a migraine is accompanied by symptoms such as sensitivity to light, nausea, and vomiting. Migraines are usually more debilitating than headaches and have four distinct phases.

Effective Treatment Options for Your Headache

For most of us, when we get a headache, we take some over-the-counter pain medication to relieve our symptoms, but persistent headaches and/or migraines require closer examination to determine what is causing these headaches so that it can be addressed.

Dr. Zumstein at the Zumstein Chiropractic Clinic is no stranger to patients from Franklin, WI, seeing him about headaches. Whether the headaches are mild or severe, they can start to affect your quality of life and ability to function. This is why Dr. Zumstein offers natural and holistic solutions for head pain. After a complete examination to determine why you are experiencing headaches, Dr. Zumstein may offer one of the following treatments.

• Spinal manipulation and chiropractic adjustments to realign the spine and relieve any pressure on the nervous system and soft tissues that might be causing your headache.
• Acupuncture for pain relief and to restore the balance of your Qi.
• Massage therapy to relieve tension and stress.
• Recommending certain lifestyle changes, if the headache is triggered by environmental factors or unhealthy habits.

Persistent headaches or headaches that occur after injury or trauma should never be ignored, and we recommend seeking further advice. Call (414) 761-3330 today to schedule an appointment.