
What is a headache?
Anyone who has experienced chronic headaches can attest, they can be debilitating. Many people report being short-tempered and intolerant due to unrelenting pain in the head. Emotional stability, decision making, and daily life can be greatly altered when headaches take over.
Headaches come in a variety of forms. Some mor common types are tension headaches, migraines and cervicogenic headaches.
Tension headaches:

Migraines
Migraine sufferers usually experience pain on one side of the head. It is usually throbbing in nature and can be combined with sensitivity to light and sound. Often migraines are preceded by an aura which is a precursor sign that a violent headache is about to follow. Migraines often have triggers, food, weather or exercise can trigger an onset or migraine.
Cervicogenic Headaches
These headaches stem from the neck with the pain pattern appearing in the head, temple and face. In this case the source of the pain is in the spine. The nerves starting in the neck get irritated due to the misalignments of the vertebrae called subluxations. Once irritated, these nerves can carry pain to various areas of the head.


How chiropractic can help with headaches
Chiropractors are trained to assess and identify the correct type of headache and address the appropriate treatment for each. Upon examination, a chiropractor can determine if the function of your head and neck is adequate or lacking. If indicated, treatment can often produce amazing results.
Research has shown that chiropractic care including manual adjustments can have a positive effect on cervicogenic and tension headaches. A study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics also shows that chiropractic care can reduce the intensity and frequency of migraine type headaches.
Reference: 1Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, Marcoux H, Potter B, Ruegg R, Shaw L, Watkin R, White E. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headache. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2011;34(5):274-89.