If you are struggling with chronic headaches and don't want to continually rely on over-the-counter pain medications, you may want to visit a chiropractor. A chiropractor can identify possible triggers for your headaches, address your posture, and provide a range of treatments. They may offer treatments like spinal adjustments, cervical traction, nerve stimulation, massage therapy, nutritional counseling, and so on. One treatment you may want to consider for your headaches is acupuncture.
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a treatment that's derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). During acupuncture, your chiropractor will insert very thin needles into various points on the skin to reduce pain and stress and to improve the flow of energy within the body. Although you may be hesitant to try acupuncture because of needles, this therapy doesn't hurt. You may even find it to be relaxing.
How Do Chiropractors Use Acupuncture in Their Practice?
Some chiropractors may use acupuncture in conjunction with other chiropractic therapies to improve your headaches, while others may use it as the sole treatment if that's enough to alleviate your headaches.
Some chiropractors may recommend acupuncture offshoots, like acupressure or dry needling. If you aren't comfortable with needles, then acupressure may be a better option since a chiropractor will use their hands to put pressure on specific points to relieve tension. Dry needling is similar to acupuncture since it involves needles, but the goal of dry needling is to release trigger points. If your headaches are caused by over-tight muscle fibers or trigger points, then dry needling might be a good way to release that tension and resolve your headaches.
How Can Acupuncture Help People with Headaches?
Acupuncture helps the body release endorphins, which are hormones that act as natural pain killers. You may not need to take over-the-counter medications as much the acupuncture may reduce the pain caused by your headaches.
One study says that cluster headaches are the most disabling forms of primary headaches, but there is little evidence regarding alternative therapies. The same study proposes that acupuncture can be a good alternative therapy for people who've tried other routes without success since participants in the study saw an interruption in their cluster attacks following therapy.
Acupuncture therapies can be useful for different types of headaches, such as icepick headaches, cluster headaches, and even migraines. Reach out to a chiropractor that offers acupuncture treatments in your area today to learn more about your options.
Share24 November 2020
One day, in the middle of helping my kids to clean up the house, I lifted a box weird and threw out my back. It was frustrating, but I assumed that it would go away on its own. I was wrong. After trying everything I could think of to resolve the problem, my back still hurt and I couldn't stand up straight. After a week of suffering, I made the decision to meet with a chiropractor. He inspected my back, took x-rays, and figured out that I had slipped a disc. I started a grueling physical therapy routine, but after a few days, things started to improve. Read this blog to learn more about chiropractors.
