Headaches

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Headache is among the most common reasons for doctor visits in America. People are quick to reach for pain-numbing over-the-counter medicine, which is a short term solution that will only cause the pain to dissolve temporarily. A one-off headache is something that we all experience at different points in life; however, if you are suffering from chronic (defined as recurring regularly or persisting for a long period of time) headaches, it is worth searching for an underlying cause. 

The Doctor of Chiropractic is concerned with the type of headache that is derived from musculoskeletal imbalance. At Holmes Chiropractic, we offer the chronic headache sufferer a thorough examination to determine whether their condition may be partially or fully related to spinal misalignment, muscular tension or joint malfunction. Subluxation, in particular, causes headache because the pressure on the nerve creates pain that can be referred, and therefore felt, in the head. Our treatment corrects subluxation and releases accumulated tension that may be causing you pain. Furthermore, we focus on enhancing blood circulation to ensure that the brain (as well as all the functioning systems in your body) is receiving an adequate flow of oxygen and nutrients. 

We are not naive enough to proclaim that our treatment will solve every headache. We can offer you an honest evaluation that will determine whether your headaching could benefit from an adjustment or attention to a problematic region in the back. Give our office in Houston a call and let us help you reduce the grip that headaches have over your life. 

Dr. Randall Holmes, D.C. 

Headaches and Sleeping

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For many people, getting to sleep, or staying asleep is difficult because of headaches and, by the opposite token, lack of sleep creates headaches during the day time. Sleep is a key ingredient to overall wellness, and as such, the pursuit of restful, restorative sleep is a primary pursuit at Holmes Chiropractic. How can you begin to function for a day when your restorative hours were racked by headache and stress? It sets a tone for your life that becomes hard to manage.

As we see it, nerves exiting from the cervical spine are involved in regulating the limbic system, which is responsible for mood. A nerve interference at this level could cause fluctuations in happiness, and lead to stress, anxiety and depression. Furthermore, a nerve that is being pressed by a misaligned vertebrae could be causing pain that is referring to your head. As muscle spasms begin to accrue in the shoulders and neck, the problem becomes muddled. It is not unbelievable that a cervical subluxation could be causing your headaches that stop you from sleeping. And it is proven that not sleeping causes headaches, whether from anxiety or exhaustion.

At our office in Houston, we believe that together we can make positive impacts on your sleep health. We take everything into consideration: sleep hygiene, nutrition, ergonomics and posture, as well as chiropractic considerations that treat the spine to ensure your nerves are functioning properly. Call our office to schedule an appointment today and start sleeping right to reduce headaches.

Dr. Randall Holmes, D.C.

Posture Headache

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If someone were to take a picture of you right now, as you sat at the computer, how would you look? Would you be upright in your chair, with a healthy lordotic curve, shoulders back and face straight forward. Or would you be slumped forward, neck cricked downward, with tight shoulders and a rounded back? For many people, it is option two, and it’s not doing their head any favors. For people who come home from a grueling day at the office with a pounding headache, posture could be your downfall.

Here’s how it works: after hours of mental exertion, any awareness of posture has gone out the window. We have succumbed to the malaise of work and our muscles are now suffering. The chin starts moving toward the screen, as though by magnetization, and the head follows, rounding the back and scrunching shoulders in the process. Now the weight of your head, no longer at the top of a straight spine, is magnified, creating an imbalance that requires shoulder and neck muscles to compensate. This is how these muscles feel tight or strained. Often times, muscle spasms will accompany this position, and the pain is referred to the head, leaving you with a headache.

Clearly, this is not something you want to do to yourself. There are many intangible factors which create headaches. It is in all of our best interest to exercise the powers in our control to limit headache symptoms. Posture is one of the most effective, least used ways to influence your health: unlock its power by calling our office in Houston today at (713) 862-2440.

Dr. Randall Holmes, D.C.