 |
 |
 |
 |
Chiropractic Vs. Amitriptyline for Tension Headache Relief
Tension headaches are a serious problem in our stress-filled society, especially when it comes to being able to perform common daily tasks. A population study done by Duke University showed that “regular [daily] activities were limited by 38% of tension-type headache attacks” and that “89% of tension-type headache sufferers reported that their headaches had negatively affected their relationships with friends, colleagues, and family.”1 So, chances are, if you are suffering with headaches, your quality of life is being seriously affected.
It is important to understand the cause of tension headaches so that you are able to seek appropriate care, get rid of the pain, and get your life back. Cervicogenic headaches, or what we commonly call tension headaches, are caused by mechanical dysfunction in the cervical spine (the neck). The cervical spine is made up of the top seven bones in the vertebral column. Each bone (vertebrae) has a shock absorbing disc sandwiched between them, which protect the spinal nerves that exit between the vertebrae. Impulses from the brain flow through the spinal cord and then through the branches of the spinal nerves. The brain is protected by the skull and the spinal cord is protected by the vertebral column, so the first place there can be pinching, choking, or irritation of the spinal nerves is where they exit between the spinal joints.
Injuries such as whiplash from an auto accident, a slip and fall, or a sports injury, can cause individual joints of the cervical spine to become stuck, like suction cups. Thus, when the joints do not move normally, the connective tissues of the joint get irritated and cause inflammation. This condition is commonly known as osteoarthritis. One of the components of inflammation is swelling. This swelling and its resultant chemical irritants interfere with normal nerve transmissions. When the nerves that control the muscles of the neck get pinched, choked, or irritated, they will cause the muscles to become constantly tense, resulting in a tension headache. As a side note, we must remember that spinal nerves are very delicate. Beginning in the 1970′s, Dr. Chung Ha Suh, Ph.D and his colleagues at the Biomechanics Department of the University of Colorado demonstrated that it only took 10 mm Hg. of pressure (the weight of a dime) on a spinal nerve to decrease transmission in that nerve by up to 50%. In conclusion, it makes sense that if we restore normal joint function, inflammation will be reduced, normal nerve function and muscle tone will be restored, and the tension headache will be relieved.
Tension headache sufferers have many treatment options available to them. We will review the safety and effectiveness of two popular approaches: cervical manipulation and medication. Duke University reviewed two controlled trials in which they found that cervical spinal manipulation, or what chiropractors call “adjustments”, resulted in “immediate improvement in headache severity…and [that] a course of manipulation treatments resulted in sustained improvement in headache frequency and severity.”2 In other words, the effects of consistent, repeated adjustments over a 6 week period of time were both fast-acting and long-lasting.
In another trial, the effects and safety of amitriptyline, a headache drug, was compared with the effects of cervical adjustments for the treatment of tension headache. They found that amitriptyline may have had a greater effect on the reduction of headaches than adjustments during the 6 week trial period, but that adverse effects were much more common with the group taking the drug than those receiving adjustments. 82% of the drug patients experienced adverse effects versus only a 4% incidence of adverse effects experienced in the cervical manipulation group.3 And here’s the kicker, after both treatments were stopped, the group taking the drug returned to the same headache frequency and level that they experienced before the trial, while the group that received adjustments sustained the improvements that they had maintained after the trial.4 It just goes to show what happens when the cause of the condition is treated versus just the symptoms.
For another natural treatment option,
is a video that will demonstrate a simple, self-help method for temporarily relieving your headache until you can receive proper professional treatment. Remember, there is no such thing as a “normal” headache. Headaches are “common”, never normal, which is why it is important to seek professional help to determine the cause of your headaches and to treat them appropriately.1,2,3,4 Duke University Evidence-based Practice Center and Center for Clinical Health Policy Research
Dr. Dana Williamson is a member in good standing of the Virginia Chiropractic Association. He specializes in a drugless approach to the treatment of headaches at his Chiropractic Centers of Virginia offices located in Richmond and Mechanicsville.
Related Articles:
Filed under chiropractor by on Jan 19th, 2012. 
Leave a Comment