​When our Chiropractic clinic opened its doors for the first time in 2007, it was the first step in creating a truly integrated ‘health house’! From a tiny room off the personal training studio, we introduced our clients to the benefits of chiropractic care. Then as now, many of them were not aware that chiropractic covers head to toe treatment for all ages. Each month throughout the year, we will focus on a different part of the body and the conditions that may appear and how chiropractic can help treat them. This month we start at the very top, with the head and headaches.

Why Do I Get Headaches?
There are multiple reasons why someone might experience headaches. Whilst some are linked to lifestyle habits, others stem from physical strain or underlying health issues. Understanding the specific triggers for headaches can help in effectively managing them.
 
Are there different types of headaches? 
Migraines and tension headaches are two of the most common types of headaches that we treat, but they differ significantly in their causes, symptoms, and impact on daily life.
Tension headaches are typically associated with muscle tightness and stress. They often feel like a dull, aching pressure or tightness around the forehead, temples, or the back of the head and neck. These headaches are usually mild to moderate in intensity and aren’t associated with other symptoms. Most people with tension headaches can continue daily activities, though they may feel discomfort or fatigue.
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Migraines, on the other hand, are a more complex and involve both the nerves and blood vessels inside your head. Symptoms are often moderate to severe throbbing or pulsating pain, usually on one side of the head. Migraines are often accompanied by other symptoms, including nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and in some cases, visual disturbances known as “auras.” Migraines can severely impact daily activities, with sufferers often needing to rest in a dark, quiet space until the episode passes. Migraines can last from a few hours to several days, and common triggers include hormonal changes, certain foods, stress, lack of sleep, and environmental stimuli like bright lights or strong smells.
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Common causes of headaches:
Muscle Tension
One of the primary contributors to headaches is muscle tension, especially in the neck and shoulders. This tension is often due to prolonged periods of inactivity, such as sitting for long hours at a desk or in front of a computer. When muscles become tense and strained from inactivity, it can lead to what are commonly known as tension headaches. These headaches usually create a dull, aching sensation, often felt as pressure around the forehead or base of the skull. Often patients get a feeling that their head feels ‘too heavy’ for their neck and will be aware of tension in their shoulders. Adding regular movement throughout the day can significantly reduce the risk of these headaches. 
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​Dizziness and Headaches: A Common Connection
For some individuals, headaches are accompanied by symptoms of dizziness or light-headedness. This combination of symptoms can occur for various reasons, including tightness in the neck muscles and restriction of movement in the joints of the neck. Known as cervicogenic dizziness, this type of dizziness is often linked to the same tension and strain that trigger headaches. Chiropractic care can be particularly helpful for addressing these linked symptoms, as relieving neck tension can often reduce both dizziness and headache frequency.
 
Stress and Lifestyle Factors
Stress is a frequent contributor to headaches, as it can lead to both physical and mental tension. When we are stressed, we may hold tension in various areas of the body, including the neck and shoulders, which can lead to headaches. Additionally, lifestyle habits such as irregular sleep patterns, dehydration, or inconsistent meals can exacerbate headache symptoms.
 
Other Factors
Although headaches are usually not a sign of serious disease, it is always important to get them properly assessed. For example, high blood pressure can be cause of headaches and certainly something that a chiropractor will want to rule out. There a thorough examination will therefore often include a blood pressure test.
Eye strain can also cause headaches, so getting your sight tested by an optometrist can help assess your vision being linked to headaches.

Through hands-on techniques that promote relaxation, mobility, and natural healing, chiropractic care can offer effective relief for both tension and dizziness-related headaches.  This comprehensive evaluation helps identify any contributing factors, such as neck tension or joint restriction, that might be causing your headaches. Or indeed if onward referral may be indicated.  Once the chiropractor is confident that there are muscle and joint issues which could be the source of your headaches, a combination of approaches is often used.
 
Neck Adjustments - Chiropractors use gentle adjustments to improve movement of the vertebrae in your neck and upper back which will help alleviate tension in the surrounding muscles.
 
Soft Tissue Therapy - Chiropractic care often includes soft tissue therapy, which targets areas of tightness and muscle restriction around the neck and shoulders. By addressing this muscle tension, chiropractors help reduce the likelihood of tension headaches and associated dizziness. This can include massage or sometimes acupuncture.
 
Exercise and Movement Advice - It is important to keep up with regular movement and exercise to help or prevent headaches. By incorporating simple, regular movements into your day—such as stretching or short walks—you can reduce muscle tension and support neck flexibility, which helps decrease headache frequency. There is no particular good or bad exercise for headaches, so find what you enjoy, start gently and see if it may help your headaches.
 
Home Exercises and Stretches – A chiropractor may also recommend specific based exercises to help maintain neck flexibility and strength and reduce muscle strain. These exercises are designed to be easy and practical, helping you keep progress on track between visits.
 
Practical Tips for Managing Headaches at Home
Along with chiropractic care, there are practical steps you can take to manage and even prevent headaches at home. Here are some effective strategies for supporting your headache relief journey:
 
Avoid long static positions
Frequent movement is essential in preventing muscle tightness and tension headaches. Try setting a timer to remind yourself to stand up, stretch, and move every 30 minutes, especially during prolonged tasks like computer work. These microbreaks can be thought of as the 30/30 rule: Get out of your chair and move for 30 seconds every 30 minutes. I timer on your phone or computer can really help here as we all know how engrossed we can be in front of a screen.

Keep active
Engaging in regular exercise, like walking, swimming, or yoga, helps reduce muscle tension and improve circulation, which can prevent tension and cervicogenic headaches.
 
Mind your sleep
Adequate rest is crucial for headache prevention. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night and consider maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. Good sleep hygiene, including limiting screen time before bed, can contribute to more restful nights and fewer headaches.
 
Conclusion
For anyone dealing with recurring headaches, it’s natural to feel concerned, especially if they’re affecting your quality of life. However, most headaches are manageable and often connected to treatable factors, like muscle tension, neck and upper back stiffness or stress. Chiropractic care can offer a practical and natural approach to reducing headache frequency, helping you achieve relief without relying on medications.

Ever since we opened the doors to the studio in 2001, we have tried to help people recover what they had lost, be that mobility, strength or confidence in their bodies. Over the years our training methods have evolved and with the introduction of our chiropractic clinic in 2007, we have been able to help more clients preserve what they have pain free! For many of us, maintaining health and fitness can be an uphill struggle and the slope only gets steeper with age. But from our experience we still have a great deal of control over its trajectory.
We are still capable of building muscle mass, increasing strength, improving coordination, agility, and enhancing balance, but we are at just as much risk of injury from overdoing it as we are to not exercising at all!

Here are four things that we suggest you focus on over the coming year to help maintain your potential and push back against decline.

1. Low-Intensity, High-Volume Movement
Exercise sessions do not always require intense effort, but every day should include deliberate, low-intensity movement—such as walking, cycling or swimming. This is not just about burning calories, it is more about staying metabolically flexible and biologically “youthful”, as this forms the foundation for mitochondrial health, glucose control, and recovery. Nearly every longevity study highlights significant benefits from walking just 7,000 steps a day that becomes your baseline, and for some it’s their ceiling, but whatever it is, it’s a non-negotiable! 

4. Proper Nutrition
By consuming plenty of protein, lots of fruit and vegetables and a healthy amount of carbohydrates and good fats you give your body the best chance to thrive. Put simply, your nutrition supports muscle, movement, and metabolic health, protecting lean body mass by consuming protein aids muscle maintenance, allowing you to continue with physical activities. That means eating well most of the time… and still enjoying the occasional glass of wine, slice of cake or dirty burger without feeling guilty.