Headaches. Everyone gets them from time to time, but sometimes they can be so strong as to be unbearable and they may not go away. Medications can relieve the symptoms and put off the pain temporarily, but not the cause of these headaches.

Many of the more severe headache symptoms are slow to respond to chemical treatment. Using medications over an extened period of time can lead to long lasting and often negative effects to the body. This is why many people with chronic head pain look to the more natural solution of chiropractic care.  If you live in the Schaumburg Hoffman Estates area Churchill Chiropractic should be the first place to come for headache evaluation and treatment. 

There Are Different Kinds of Headaches- In order to better treat any problem it is first important to understand what causes it. There are many different kinds of headaches, some which can be treated by chiropractic better than others. Headaches are most commonly caused by:

-vascular constriction

-tension in the muscles

-sinus congestion

-eye strain

It is most important to realize that chiropractic seems to work best in the types of headaches that are based around muscle tension and changes to vascular flow. Sinus headaches have also had success, but they are likely to have a more complicated cause.

Tension Headaches- If we become stressed, scared, or angry, your body will respond with increased muscle tension in the head, neck, and shoulders. This reaction is called the fight or flight response, and it is the normal response to stress. If we are stressed often (as most of us are) and we can neither run or fight, the muscle tension becomes a habit.

This can lead to some imbalances in the way we hold our body, which in turn leads to more muscle tension and pain. Treatment at Churchill Chiropractic can relax these muscles and realign the spine’s structure to put and end to the pain. Those seeking chiropractic care for tension headaches can often see a marked improvement in just a few treatments as the nerves become less irritated and the muscles begin to relax.

Migraine Headaches- Migraines are brought about by changes in vascular flow, triggered by a variety of factors such as different smells, foods, weather, hormonal changes, and stress. These often very painful headaches do not always start off as pain. They can begin with nausea or the person may experience a halo effect called a visual aura.

Recent studies have shown chiropractic treatment may play a significant role in reducing the number of migraines a person has. By careful manipulation of the neck and spine, chiropractic adjustments may be able to reduce nerve irritation in the spine, thus preventing radiating or referred pain, and improve vascular flow.

Treatment- Chiropractic care centers around manipulation of the spine and neck to improve blood flow and posture. To reduce the headaches, the chiropractor will perform spinal adjustments using his hands, but may also include massage, trigger point therapy, or other types of complementary treatments to address the problem. Dr. Blackford will probably also include some home care recommendations such as stretching exercises and posture education to help keep things balanced between visits.

Visit our full Headache page to learn more about the different types of headaches and Chiropractic treatments.

Yes, all patients with back pain, neck pain, hip pain and knee pain completed Tuesday's class with sucess!

Each week at Churchill Chiropractic in Schaumburg we offer a half hour core class for ALL of our patients and their guests, lead by Dr. Blackford himself. One may wonder, what's a Core Class about? Be ready to Rock Your Abs! Attendees are exercised to upbeat music and within a half hour's time complete 130 crunches and a full abdominal routine. At Churchill Chiropractic we find it important for our patients to do the best they can building a strong core and abs to reduce back pain episodes.

This week's music playlist included Dave Mattews Band, O.A.R.  Lily Allen, and Bob Marley among others. All atendees completed a quick 5 minute warm up routine followed by planks, rollouts, cross crawls, bycicles, and crunches. One stretch was introduced to the class by a patient, and we welcome any additions or ideas for the class with open arms. A patient with knee pain opted out of the push ups and scissors exercise. Another patient with mild back pain took a break during the bridge routine. Once again, we welcome all fitness levels and accomodate for these needs, as shown previously.

The class is held every Tuesday at 7pm.  Everyone is welcome.  The exercises and stretches are chosen to be safe for anyone with neck and back pain, knee or shoulder problems.  The age range is 8 to 80.  Remember the best way to reduce stress is with exercise.  Stess has been found to be responsible for 30 percent of all headaches and low back pain.

This is the best CORE class around if you live in the Schaumburg or Hoffman Estates area. 

Wednesday 7pm is the Yoga Class taught by Lori Wilson.