Understanding Headaches There is a common perception that the cause of all headaches is in the head itself, which seems like a logical assumption since that is where the symptoms are. However, there is now a firm ase of scientific evidence that suggests many of the most common types of headaches may actually be generated in the muscles, joints, and nerves of the neck. When talking about the neck, we are actually talking about the upper portion of the spinal column, the cervical spine. The cervical spine consists of 7 small bones called vertebrae stacked on top of each other. By themselves the joints of the cervical spine are not very stable, so to protect the region, a complex system of muscles surround the spinal column to control movement and protect the area from injury. Not only do these muscles protect the cervical spine, but they also must control the weight of the head. The head and neck have a unique anatomical relationship in that the larger heavier head which weighs about 10 pounds sits atop the thinner neck. The heavier head puts a lot of burden on the thinner neck. Interestingly enough, muscle and joint dysfunction in the cervical spine has actually been shown to cause headaches through a process known as referred pain. The referred pain phenomenon is a complicated neurological process, but simply stated, referred pain is a process that causes pain to be felt at a location other than where the problem is occurring. Other examples of referred pain can be seen during a heart attack, when pain is felt in the left arm, or with a disc herniation in the low back, which causes pain to be felt down the leg. Treatments: ART, which stands for Active ReleaseTechniques. It is a new and highly successful hands on treatment method to address problems in the soft tissues of body, including muscles, ligaments, fascia, and nerves. ART treatment is highly successful in dealing with many types of headaches because it is specifically designed to locate and treat scar tissue adhesions that accumulate in the muscles surrounding soft tissues. By locating and treating the soft tissue adhesions with ART, it allows the practitioner to, one, breakup restrictive adhesions, two, reinstate normal tissue flexibility and movement, and three, more completely restore flexibility, balance, and stability to the injured area as well the entire kinetic chain. For anymore questions, please feel free to contact me at the clinic : 727-822-1555. Yours in health, Doc Rubin.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 15:44:40 +0000