Do you regularly suffer from headaches and migraines? If you do, then you are most likely one of many individuals who are looking for ways to get rid of their annoying and painful condition. Upper cervical care in Sioux Falls consistently gives headache and migraine relief for many people. In this article, we’ll share a list of well-tested tips and methods you didn’t know can help you in dealing with migraines and chronic headaches.

Neck pain is one of the most common migraine symptoms. Migraines and neck pain usually come together, and this is also true for headaches. Here’s a fact: The real source of common headaches is not in your head. By the end of this article, you will find one of the best natural options for headache and migraine relief.

Let’s go straight to the eight ways to help you alleviate your headaches and migraines, and even your neck pains.

#1 Practice Stress Management

Excessive stress is everybody’s enemy. When an individual is under stress, tension builds up in the shoulders and neck.  When this happens, it leads to the most widespread type of headache—tension headache. Reducing and managing your stress levels whenever possible is an excellent method of lowering the frequency and variety of problems you may get. Avoid negative stress coping mechanisms like smoking cigarettes and alcohol drinking. 

Here is a listing of some healthy and active stress management methods that can benefit your whole body:

• Meditation
• Exercise
• Soaking in a hot bath
• Listening to soothing or energetic music
• Having a few relaxing hobbies
• Reading a good book or a positive source of information
• Talking to people who matter about your stress, so you get relief
• Therapy, including upper cervical care in Sioux Falls

#2 Do Some Stretching

Here is the bottom line: The neck has an essential role in most headaches and migraine attacks. For this reason alone, it is crucial that doing stretching exercises, specifically in the areas of the neck, can be so helpful in preventing headaches and migraines. 

Doing regular stretching minimizes the frequent occurrence of migraines and headaches. A few of the most successful kinds of stretches allow and maintain the proper neck alignment, including shoulder stretches. This practice helps because it improves the range of motion of the neck while strengthening the shoulders and neck muscles at the same time. You can also achieve it through upper cervical care in Sioux Falls.

#3 Have a Regular Exercise

In general, exercise is excellent because it can be a good antidote for pain, including head and neck pain, and migraines. Exercise releases hormones in the body that allows you to feel good. In effect, it reduces any pain and anxiety you may be feeling.

If you combine neck and core exercises, you will be hitting two birds with one stone. You get to feel good and increase your energy levels and also reduce any of your chronic pains. Suitable activities include those that strengthen your neck and shoulder muscles, and also your core and spine.

#4 Use Ice 

Ice is a natural counter-attack against inflammation, which is a common problem in the neck after a neck or head trauma like concussion or whiplash incidents. When these injuries occur, it leads to chronic headaches and neck pain. 

Get a few ice cubes and put them inside a face towel to make an ice pack. Use an ice pack, apply on your neck on and off for a few days immediately after the injury. This method will reduce inflammation. Make sure the ice pack stays on the affected area for at least fifteen minutes and not more than 20 minutes per session.

#5 Make Some Lifestyle Changes

Understand that some lifestyle choices you are making may be the cause or contributing factors to your headaches, neck pains, and migraines. So it is a good policy to analyze and examine your regular habits, then perhaps adjust them accordingly. 

A few examples would include: drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes, as mentioned earlier. If you continue making these two habits, then you are disrupting the natural blood flow in the body, which can cause headaches and migraines. These bad habits will increase the loss of disc material between your neck vertebrae. The importance of the neck vertebrae will be discussed further later in this article.

#6 Finally, Get Upper Cervical Care in Sioux Falls

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, upper cervical chiropractic care is an effective method of giving you relief from migraines, headaches, and neck pains. How so?

“Headaches” are a pain in the neck. Yes, you heard that right. The neck, in many cases, is the cause of your headaches and migraines. The reason for this is due to the misalignment of the vertebrae in your upper cervical spine. The atlas (C1) and axis (C2) are the top two bones in the neck. Any misalignment of these essential bones may result in headaches, migraines, and neck pain. Again, how so?

Because misalignments of this kind will restrict the proper blood flow to your head or inhibit the appropriate functioning of the brainstem.

Here at Upper Cervical of Sioux Falls, we focus on the upper neck area. Our technique is gentle, effective, and pain-free. We use state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging to identify, locate, and take accurate measurements of any misalignment in your neck. We only use low-force correction.

Many patients who suffer from chronic headaches, neck pains, and migraines find that their illnesses and symptoms become less frequent or severe after receiving upper cervical chiropractic care from us. If you want to get the same results, call us at (605) 275-6900 or click here. We are more than happy and willing to assist in your road to relief.