By Michael Oppelt, D.C., faculty clinician, Palmer Chiropractic Clinics
Most people think of seeing a chiropractor when they have back pain or neck and shoulder pain. What is becoming far more common in the Palmer Chiropractic Clinics is people coming to us with back pain, neck pain and headaches.
Although other complaints generally bring people into our clinic, headaches are one of the most frequent secondary complaints from which our patients suffer. A thread that ties a wide variety of aches and pains to headaches for many people is POSTURE.
With the downsizing of our electronic world—the smart phones, iPods, iPads and laptop computers—people are spending many hours of the day with their shoulders rolled forward and head looking down. Add to this the increase in time during which people are in a seated position throughout the day, and it begins to alter one’s posture.
Chiropractors call it flexion contracture and anterior head carriage, but it basically means that the muscles in the front of your neck are contracted and shorter while the muscles in the back of your neck are contracted and stretched. It is these muscles in prolonged contracture that produce more metabolic waste and lactic acid, which can refer pain up into the head.
The primary method a muscle rids itself of the lactic acid created with muscular activity or work is by going through full motion patterns. When a muscle assumes a contracted stabilizing position it is restricted in motion and, consequently, retains its metabolic waste. The waste accumulation begins to congest the muscle and cause pain.
The resultant muscle pain referral patterns mimic common headache types. Tension headaches, sinus headaches, eye strain headaches, exercise/exertion headaches, vertex/top of the head headaches all can be associated with the muscles that attach your head to your shoulders. Over months and years, the expression of headaches varies depending on life’s ever-changing demands. Physical exertion, stress and nutrition all can exacerbate the frequency and intensity of the headaches.
In addition to the physical symptoms of headaches, this type of posture that contributes to the physical strain from the muscle attachments to the spine can begin to directly affect the curve of the neck and your posture. The human spine has three functional curves that develop as we grow from infants to toddlers. We have a soft anterior curve in the neck, a posterior curve in the upper-mid back and an anterior curve in the low back. When a flexed head becomes the dominant position throughout the day, the anterior neck curve begins to straighten, and over years it can reverse.
With posture change and structural change, all of your neck and head movements become tighter and restricted. Restricted motion allows overall degeneration to begin to take hold and affect your activities of daily living.
The real question becomes: What can I do to help myself? The first step is to check your resting posture while standing or sitting. Is your head balanced on your shoulders or are your ears positioned in front of your shoulders? The second step is to incorporate stretches and exercises into your daily routine to keep the muscles in your neck and back conditioned for proper head posture.
The third step is to consider a visit to a chiropractor to ensure your spine is as mobile as it should be. Chiropractors are skilled at evaluating your spine and the musculature that may contribute to headaches. In addition to chiropractic adjustments, your chiropractor may recommend simple exercises and postural changes for home or work that may reduce headaches in the first place
