Has anyone had any luck with getting relief from chiropractic? I have had terrible tension headaches for about 10 years, the last few years they have been bad enough to make me nauseous. My MD kept telling me to relax, I'm too stressed out and prescribed a muscle relaxant (Flexeril). That helped at first, but now it doesn't do a thing.

I get migraines too and take Zomig for that. Most of the time it works.

I've been going to massage therapists for a while and it helps but the effects don't last long.

I started going to a chiropractor about 6 months ago. She said my spine was out of alignment and that was preventing the muscles from relaxing. Plus I have pinched nerves.

Sometimes I do really well and can go a few weeks without needing an adjustment, but some weeks I'm in there 3 times. She doesn't tell me to come in, but I either get a headache or I can tell my back is out of alignment. It seems to help, but my husband thinks I should be farther along as much as I've been in for adjustments.

I do feel like I'm getting better, as far as the intensity of the tension headaches and the frequency of the migraines. But I am still getting headaches.

The chiropractor said it will take time to retrain the muscles to stay in place and not pull the bones out of alignment. She gave me some stretches to do and also recommended yoga, massage, and using hot and cold compresses.

What she says makes sense to me but I wonder if anyone else has tried chiropractic and how long it took to get any results.

Also, has anyone tried accupuncture?

I am tired of the drugs the MD gives me. I also have tried Ultram but I've heard that can be addictive and it makes me a bit nauseous.

Thanks for any advice you can give. -Cindy

I am a 37 year old female who is currently seeing a chiropractor for headaches/migraines. I have gone to him for about 6 months now. Getting adjusted seems to help when I am having a headache at that time. They come back though, time and time again. So my experience so far has been getting relief when I am experiencing one but not an elimination of them all together. I'll probably continue seeing him for awhile, it was worth a try. I am sure if I don't get permanent relief I'll move onto something else. Good luck.

I tried going to a chiropractor but it didn't really help me. If you have pinched nerves, some type of stretching will help. I also tried accupunture. It seemed to help for a short time but was not a solution. I think these things only work if there is a physical reason for the headaches. Mine are mainly caused by the changes in barometric pressure so medication is the only thing I have found that helps. Right now I am taking Neurontin. It seems to be the best so far, haven't had any really bad ones with it.
Having a doctor tell you that you need to relax when you know that isn't the problem is no help at all. That is when I finally found another doctor who would work with me.
I wish you well.

I've only been to a chiropractor once, so I can't say for sure that it has helped greatly...but I did think I felt better after that than most other things I had tried. He gave me a story that sounds very like the one your chiropractor gave you - about retraining the muscles. Mine said it is like having crooked teeth, only in that case you can wear braces 24 hrs. a day and with you neck, you really can't. So it takes many adjustments over a long period of time (often years) to undo all the years of training you have put into them to be crooked. Makes sense to me, but I admit it sounds like the chiropractor stands to gain a lot by saying so...?

I have a lot of tension in my left shoulder that despite lots of hot compresses and stretching and massaging, I couldn't get to let go. It feels much better these days since that first adjustment so I plan to go back. Of course, I am also now doing yoga 3 times a week which is helping to not only stretch the muscles, but also prevent the stress buildup that leads to the tight muscle.

Hope that helps in some way.

Why not ask the doc about some preventative medicince to lessen the severity and frequency of your headaches. Go ahead and try the chiropracter but it hasn't helped hubby's headaches but it does wonders for his neck etc. Also have you been checked for TMJ regarding your headaches??

I have to say that I found great long term relief from Chiropractic and then... I stopped http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/nono.gif
I have since started back up and it's taking me a while to get back in the groove again. I also have a pinched nerve in my right shoulder which has caused me great pain for a number of years and I never really considered the link between it and the migraines until recently but I do believe there's definitely something to it. I don't necessarily believe it's an all or nothing thing. I, for one, just think i am prone to migraines. For a long time, before Chiropractic, I just operated with a dull headache, a migraine on the horizon almost all the time. I learned to live with it and really probably didnt' even realize I had it most of the time. It just didn't take much to push me over into a full blown migraine - a smell, loud sound, bright light, annoying phone call http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif Anyway... it could be that you have several triggers and that muscle tension or a maladjusted spine is only part of the problem. All you can do is start hammering away at each of the triggers one at a time until you've narrowed the field down to a managable arena.

Good luck! I know the Chiro can get $$$$ But I wish I'd stuck with it the first time. My Chiro had reduced my visits to once every other week and was moving me back to once a month very soon but then I stopped -- Im back to once every twoo weeks again.

I also strongly believe in chiropractic. I used to get headaches almost daily and had to take medication along with them daily. When I had just recently moved in together with my husband he was concerned about it and would saying (trying to sound like he was just joking)"maybe you have a tumor?". Well unfortunately I didn't have the money to seek any treatment so I just kept taking more OTC meds. He was then involved in an auto accident and saw a chiro for treatment. Maybe because of what the chiro told him, he decided to "pop" my neck (tried giving me an adjustment). Amazingly my headaches would go away! So then instead of taking meds I would ask him to "pop" me neck. At that time I didn't even know what chiropractic/chiropractor were. All I knew from my previous job at a medical office was that my boss (medical doctor) didn't like chiropractors. Which you will find is very common. Well then the chiro that my husband was seeing had a job opening when I had just started looking for a job and he hired me. So then I started getting real adjustments and that was the best thing for my headaches! It helped so... much. I would hardly have headaches anymore. I would get them once in a while but definately not as painful. But knowing that an adjustment would make it go away was always a relief. Now I have been getting chiro treatment for over 4 years and I love it and will recommend it to everybody because it really help me. Of course it might not for everybody but I think everybody should at least try it. But you need to be patient, sometimes it can take a while before you feel a difference and go to your appointments regularly. Try to go as often as the chiro tells you. I no longer work there and I surely miss it and I don't get adjustments as frequently but I can surely tell the difference when it takes me a long time to go back.
My headaches were/are also the type that make me nausated and sometimes bad enough that I will bang my head on the wall or hit myself on the head. As crazy as that may sound, when a headache is so bad and it just hurts so... much I just don't know what else to do. Fortunately now I have something to help. My last bad one was about a month ago and it happened at night so there was no way that I could go see my chiro. I just had my husband massage my neck.
I oftenly have people ask me what I think about chiropractic and whether it works. My answer to that is that it worked for me even before I knew what chiropratic was so I strongly believe in it! Oh, and I wouldn't recommed that you let just anybody give you an adjustment like I did. I would go see a chiropractor. But like MyAnnie also said, do your research and use a chiro that someone recommends. Also, I suggest that if you have a bad experience with one, don't give up. Try to find someone else.
Well I'm sorry to have made this so long but I hope it will help someone. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

ckl,

I recently started seeing a chiropractor for relief from my headaches and symptoms related to TMJ (I normally post on the TMJ board, but decided to check out the headaches as well, since headaches have been a huge problem for me for years). After my first adjustment (back and neck) with the chiropractor, I didn't have a headache for 5 days. This was incredible. I've only been seeing him for about three weeks now and I have only had a few headaches. They have been MUCH less severe and only last a short while. I used to get terrible tension headaches that would last all day, almost every day. I am very hopeful that my continued visits will help relieve my headaches. After being put on several prescription meds at age 16 for headache relief (none helped - I'm 23 now), I decided to go medication-free. I haven't taken even an over-the-counter pain reliever in over a year now. I would definitely recommend seeing a chiropractor. As with all dr's, check them out first, try to get referrals from friends, family, or co-workers. Good luck!

Cindy, here's what I would recommend you try. Get some natural progesterone cream and use it as recommened on the jar or tube. I buy stuff called "happy PMS" that's the cheapest I've found and has the same amount of progesterone as the spendy stuff. Then drink plenty of water, at least 2 quarts a day. For every quart you consume take 1/4 teaspoon of sea/salt with minerals at least 80 minerals if you can find them.(economical too) If you notice any swelling then just use the salt on your foods till the swelling goes down.I posted this watercure diet on Open Topic's forum, with William Green on 6/2/02, for a more detailed instruction. After your water intake is good and you've weaned yourself off of any caffine or alcohol. Then start looking for a good reflexoligist in between the chiropractor visits.

Soon after all that you'll notice that you stay in alignment longer, and have less headaches,,,find a reflexologist the does a message of the body as well as the feet!!
Call and ask how long this person has been in business and if they do the body as well as the feet.

The progesterone takes about 2 months to start working cause it needs to get up to the right level. Make sure you read the directions on the product.

I posted on this forum(headaches) about progesterone cream. Nicey wanted some info. Good luck. Post me over there with any questions, that way I know you posted, coz they send it to my mail box.

Diana http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wave.gif

Sorry the latest post for Willam Green is on 6/4/02 not 6/2 ,,,in the Open Topics forum. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wave.gif

You could also try a cranial osteopath.