There are many types of headaches and two broad categories of causes -- chemical and mechanical.  A mechanical basis for your headache may be a mechanical problem with the bones in your neck. If the spinal bones in your neck are not moving freely or not supporting your head in balance, this can affect nerves, muscles and even the blood supply to your head.

Doctors of Chiropractic locate the joints that are not moving correctly. This is done through careful examination of range of motion and palpation. X-rays may be necessary depending your age and history of injuries.  A loss of a curve in the neck can also contribute to nerve irritation and muscle tension.

" I had headaches on a daily, almost continuous basis. Every single day I came home from work and had to lie down in the dark with perfect silence. I had been tested for food allergies, enviromental allergies and had a CT scan. I had also been given prescription medication that gave me no relief at all.

After my first visit to Dr. Masters I started improving immediately.  Now I can do vigorous exercise, where before my head would just pound and throb. Now I feel great. My adjustments seem to affect every area of my health and well being."
—M.G. B.

The sustained benefit with spinal manipulation may indicate a correction of some underlying disorder responsible for the headaches. Given that amitriptyline is a standard therapy for chronic tension headaches, the finding that spinal manipulation provides comparable relief should compel everyone's attention. It is now indisputable that afferent connections from the upper cervical joints have an enormous capacity to create referred head and facial pain as well as muscle dysfunction in the cranio-vertebral region.

Vernon,DC. JMPT 1995;18(9):61-617.