What causes a headache?

Headaches are classified into two main categories; primary & secondary.  Primary headache is where the pain is caused by the structures of the head & neck .  The 3 main primary headaches are migraine, tension-type, and cluster.  Primary headaches are neurovascular in nature meaning they are caused by damage or inflammation to the blood vessels or nerves.  Secondary headache is when a more serious underlying issue is causing the pain such as a tumor, infection, or hemorrhage.  

 

What does my neck have to do with my migraine or headache?

Pain signals from the head and pain signals from the neck converge at the same location (trigeminocervical nucleus) before being interpreted by the brain.  Sometimes the brain can misinterpret pain signals originating from neck as pain signals originating from the head thus casing a headache. 

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How can NUCCA Chiropractic help my migraine or headache?

NUCCA chiropractic returns the head and neck to proper alignment restoring the proper center of gravity to the spine.  This allows the pain causing structures of the neck to heal so they no longer signal the brain. Also when the head & neck are in proper alignment blood flow in and out of the brain are improved decreasing the pain signaling from damaged or inflammed blood vessels.