Expert: Dr. Victor Dolan, DC, DACBSP - 10/21/2008

Question
I am a patient of Migraine since my childhood. Now I am 33. Since last two years I am suffering from severe neck pain. It starts at any time. Initially I feel stiffness and I can hear a sound of wear and tear. Slowly it goes to the head and headache similar to vascular headache starts. I start feeling dizziness and nausea. I also feel like slight fever.

I got my neck X-Rayed few months back. The report shows no disease in the bone but the muscle has gone stiff. I consulted doctors but they give simple pain reliever tablets and ointments which are not at all beneficial.

Please let me know what it is and why Migraine triggers with neck pain. Is the neck pain a Migraine of another category? How to get rid of this?

Answer
neck pain, headache, migraine headache,

Hello Rohit,

Sorry to hear of your long term condition.  Sorry for your pain.
You have had the pain 20 years,,, what kind of treatment have you sought?  What has helped- even for a short term, what has worsened your condition?

Usually Chiropractic care can be very successful with headaches of just about any origin.  If you have not tried Chiropractic for your complaint, I recommend an evaluation and a possible regimen of treatment- if the eval finds Tx appropriate.

I would recommend a Doctor of Chiropractic with additional credentials such as a diplomat in neurology.  See websites:
http://www.LifeChangingCare.com , or  http://www.acnb.org/ ,
or perhaps  http://www.carrickinstitute.org/ .

My Staten Island Chiropractic office has seen many patients with headaches, and migraine headaches through 25+ years of practice.  Often a regimen of Chiropractic care can reduce the severity and frequency, sometimes eliminate the headaches entirely.

From  Chiroweb.com :
Headaches

What kinds of headaches are there?

More than 90 percent of headaches can be classified as tension-type, migraine or cervicogenic.

By far, most people get tension-type headaches and get them frequently. They typically suffer mild to moderate pain, on both sides of the head, that is often described as tight, stiff, constricting – like having something wrapped around your head and pressing tightly.

Migraines are periodic severe, throbbing headaches that afflict far fewer people (and more women than men), usually hurt on one side of the head, can cause loss of appetite, nausea and even vomiting, and may involve a visual change called an aura.

Cervicogenic headache is a muskuloskeletal form of tension-type headache (which may also be related to migraines). Many times, cervicogenic headache goes undiagnosed as such due to the relative newness of this classification.

Who suffers from headaches?

Many millions of adults, worldwide, get headaches regularly. Headaches are among the most common physical complaints prompting people to treat themselves or get professional assistance. One estimate holds that some 50 million people in the U.S. get severe, long-lasting, recurring headaches. Most headaches are not signs of serious underlying conditions, but they can be very distracting, debilitating and account for significant amounts of time lost from work.

What should I be concerned about?

If you are a headache sufferer, your obvious concern is to obtain safe, dependable relief. You should avoid making things worse by using drugs – even over-the-counter, nonprescription drugs – that can have serious side effects and dangerous interactions with other medications or supplements you take. You should also be aware that many people experience what are termed "analgesic rebound headaches" from taking painkillers every day, or nearly every day. Watch out! The medicine you take to get rid of today's headache may give you a headache tomorrow and the days after.

What can chiropractic do?

Chiropractors have had considerable success relieving the cause of headache pain and releasing headache sufferers from the dangerous vicious circle of taking ever-larger doses of ever-stronger painkillers that may even be causing new and worse headaches.

Chiropractic adjustments have shown to be as effective and even more effective than medications in reducing the severity and frequency of headaches. Chiropractic is particularly successful dealing with cervicogenic headache. Even though cervicogenic and other tension-type headaches may not actually involve stress or muscle tension, chiropractic's ability to adjust spinal abnormalities seems to lessen or remove the forces contributing to many individuals headache pain. http://www.chiroweb.com/find/tellmeabout/headaches.html

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In my Staten Island Chiropractic office I utilize an information handout:

“Headache”   ( Also Known As-  Cephalgia )  Sometimes  we  experience Headache.   Head pain,  headache, can come from many causes;   perhaps we overindulged in food or alcohol,  headache can result; perhaps an allergy, our eyes, fatigue, tension,  or a multitude of causes can  cause our headache.  Sometimes we take pill after pill with little good result....  Sometimes the cause of headache pain can be in our head/ neck/ spinal alignment, our posture, our movement patterns.    Perhaps your neck is giving you a headache!!  Often-  the true    c a u s e   of  the headache and pain;  is a misalignment,  a  ‘kink’ in the neck- more properly termed a Vertebral Subluxation.

              Vertebral   Subluxation   Complex    (a.k.a.  ‘subluxation’)
The vertebral subluxation complex is the underlying cause of many healthcare problems.
A subluxation interferes with the proper functioning of the nervous system (the master system which controls and coordinates all function within the body) and may cause various other conditions, symptoms and problems.

                   This is a serious condition identified by its five parts:
    Spinal Kinesiopathology:
         This is fancy way of saying the bones of the spine have lost their normal motion and position. It restricts your ability to turn and bend. It sets in motion the other four components.

    Neuropathophysiology:
         Improper spinal function can choke, stretch, or irritate delicate nerve tissue. The resulting nerve system dysfunction can cause symptoms elsewhere in the body.

    Myopathology:
          Muscles supporting the spine can weaken, atrophy, or become tight and go into spasm. The resulting scar tissue changes muscle tone, requiring repeated spinal adjustments.

    Histopathology:
         A rise in temperature from an increase in blood and lymph supplies result in swelling and inflammation. Discs can bulge, herniate, tear, or degenerate. Other soft tissues may suffer permanent damage.

    Pathophysiology:
         The VSC contributes to OsteoArthritic degeneration. Bone spurs and other abnormal bony growths attempt to fuse malfunctioning spinal joints. This spinal decay, scar tissue, and long-term nerve dysfunction can cause other systems of the body to malfunction.


The Vertebral Subluxation Complex describes what happens when spinal bones lose their normal movement patterns and position.
         Automobile accidents, improper lifting, improper posture, alcohol, emotional stress, chemical imbalances, and long periods of sitting can cause the Vertebral Subluxation Complex.
          Vertebral  Subluxation  cannot be corrected through chemicals (medicine), stretching, yoga, vitamins or physical therapy alone.  Subluxation- a neuro/skeletal/muscular- mechanical- problem requires a mechanical correction-  -  -    a manipulation,     best performed with the chiropractic adjustment.  For good health- Treat the   Cause,  not just the symptoms.

Dr. Victor E. Dolan,   Doctor of Chiropractic;   Diplomat, American Chiropractic Board of Sport Physicians; Diplomat, American Academy of Pain Management; Certified Clinical Nutritionist (IAACN); FIRST  Chief of Chiropractic  in  a  Hospital  in  New York State (DHSI);  As  Seen  in  PREVENTION  Magazine

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I hope this information helps.  If you need more info- do not hesitate to re-contact me here at AllExperts.com .

Thank you for the question, Good Luck, I wish you Good Health Naturally, your Staten Island Chiropractor friend signing off,

Dr. Victor Dolan, DC
http://drvictordolan.chiroweb.com     (email newsletter)
http://www.DocDolan.net
http://www.GoodHealthNaturally.info