Archive for the 'Headaches' Category

Postpartum Headaches

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on August 8, 2011
in Conditions & Treatments and Headaches
. Closed

migraine0.bmpOn a daily basis, I see and treat a variety of health problems. One of my more interesting cases began with a phone call from an Internist, located in the Kenwood area of Cincinnati.

The conversation went something like this, Doc, I have a 43 year old female that just gave birth several days ago. She was in labor for almost 3 days. While in labor, she developed a severe migraine headache, which she has had ever since. Here is my dilemma, she is determined to breast feed and because of that fact, I cannot give her any narcotics for her pain.

An MRI study of her head was completed, a vasculature study of her head was completed and x-rays of her neck. It’s a mystery, we cannot figure out what is causing the headaches. Would you take a look at her for me? I agreed and told him to send her immediately to my office.

When she arrived at my office, she was crying due to the unrelenting pain. She looked absolutely exhausted. I had her sit down on my examination table, then I asked her several questions. She described her headache and said that it was so painful she could hardly sleep, think or function.

I examined her paying particular attention to her upper neck area. I had suspected that her top vertebrae in her neck (C1 or Atlas) had gotten displaced while she was in labor. I was correct it had. After explaining what I had found and pointing it out to her, she was eager for me to try to help her.

After carefully positioning her on my adjusting table, I adjusted her atlas or the top vertebra in her neck. I then told her to go home and try to sleep and to return to my office the next morning.

I was working on another patient the next morning when she walked in. She walked past the room I was in and smiled at me. No tears just a smile. I knew she was better! I finished up with the patient that I was with and then went in the other room to see how she was doing. She was amazed that she was 95% better. I rechecked her Atlas it was barely out, I re-adjusted it and told her to call me in two days to let me know how she was doing. She did, her headache was completely gone.

Do you suffer with headaches?

If you do and you have never had your spine, specifically your upper spine, chiropractically evaluated you should. You may find that it’s the solution. Strong medications and narcotics never get at the true cause. They only treat the symptom and leave you dealing with side-effects. If you live in the Greater Cincinnati area and you are suffering with headaches call me.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

Headaches

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on July 15, 2010
in Conditions & Treatments and Headaches
. Closed

headache.bmpAlthough the International Headache Society lists 129 different types of headaches, the general categories are Tension, Cluster and Migraine with associate pain being described as sharp, stabbing, dull, throbbing and vice-like. Migraine with or without aura is the most common form of acute recurrent headache in children.

Different types of physical, chemical and emotional stress— including fatigue, worry, noise, fluorescent lights, travel, improper sleep, smoke and food additives such as MSG and nitrates, often trigger headaches.

Although these things may trigger a headache, the actual cause of the headache is often a series of traumatic or repetitive micro-traumatic events—including motor vehicle accidents, contact sports, postural habits, whiplash and occupational tasks. Headaches and other symptoms may take weeks, months and even years to manifest.

It’s estimated that 25% of the population has a headache right at this moment. Headaches have many causes. Some of which are benign others not so benign. Because of this, it is crucial to get a thorough workup. Once all the examination and diagnostic findings are correlated the appropriate treatment can begin or a referral is made.

A frequently overlooked cause of many types of headaches is structural. Structural problems are due to misaligned spinal bones (subluxations) in the neck and upper back. When the vertebrae in the spine, lose their normal position (become subluxated) this sets in motion a variety of events that ultimately leads nerve irritation, changes in blood flow, muscle spasm and PAIN! If you live in the greater Cincinnati area and are suffering with headaches and are tired of the pain, call me.

Childhood Headaches

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on September 12, 2008
in Headaches and Infants & Children
. Closed

headache-child.bmpThe Causes of Childhood Headaches

There are many causes for childhood headaches. However, research clearly demonstrates that the majority of headaches are caused by problems in the cervical spine or neck. Did you know that the vertebrae in the neck can become misaligned? When this happens, nerves and at times the spinal cord itself can become irritated causing muscular tension and changes in blood flow to and in the brain itself. Unfortunately, many parents turn to drugs, which of course do nothing to correct the problem they only masks the symptoms.

Childhood headaches do more than cause pain

Researchers found headaches can affect children’s emotional development and school performance more than some other more serious health problems. The study published in the July issue of Pediatrics, suggests that headaches have a significant impact on children’s overall quality of life.

The children with headaches were adversely affected in all areas of functioning, including school performance, emotional development and physical health. In particular, children with migraines reported a higher level of impairment in school and emotional functioning than children with other chronic diseases.

If your child is suffering with headaches, seek and treat the “cause” don’t just continue treating the symptom.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Gould

Pain at Work

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on March 30, 2008
in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Headaches and Repetitive Stress Injuries
. Closed

ergo2.bmp

Since opening my practice in 1988, I have had the privilege of teaching many local companies both big and small, the importance of Work-Station-Fit. What do I mean by Work-Station-Fit? I teach people how to make adjustments to their work environment so that the work environment fits their body, instead of their body trying to fit their work environment. By making a few simple changes comfort and fatigue are greatly reduced. This is what Ergonomics is all about.

Regardless of what you do for a living, having a simple understanding of Ergonomics can prevent a lot of pain syndromes and health problems. Improper ergonomics can lead to a variety of problems. Here are the most common problems: headaches, neck pain, shoulder and arm pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, upper back and lower back pain, varicose veins in the lower legs.

I’d like to give you a brief simple lesson in body mechanics.

First of all, our body is very efficient when it comes to energy consumption when we maintain an ideal posture. This ideal posture has a name, it is called the Neutral Position. Our body is said to be in a neutral position when all the weight of our body is balanced on the boney structures of our body, allowing it to be transferred into the seat pan of a chair (if we are sitting) or into the floor (if we are standing).

However, when we deviate from this neutral position our energy consumption goes up due to our weight being transferred away from our bone to the muscle. Going from the sitting position to the standing position requires us to get out of the neutral position. Imagine trying to stand in a position that is halfway between sitting and standing. I can tell you you would not last long. Why? Your muscles are now primarially responsible for holding all of your body weight up, not your bones. The load gets transferred from the boney structures of your body to the muscles.

So now you understand why you should try to obtain this neutral postition. So what does the neutral position look like? Here are a few guidelines:

If you are standing…

Stand straight up. Legs and feet symmetrical. Your head is looking straight ahead. Your arms are at your sides or if you are working at a table your elbows can be bent at a 70 to 90 degree angle. If you are working with your hands and eyes the table top should be elevated.

If you are sitting…

As you sit down push your bottom all the way back into the back of the chair, that way when you straighten up a natural curve will form in your lower back. Your head should be looking straight ahead. Not looking up or looking down. Now position your monitor, so that if you brought it to your face the center of the screen would touch your chin. Remember the 90 degree rule, elbows and knees should be at 90 degrees. Your feet should be flat on the floor. The edge of the seat pan (the part directly underneath your knees) should not be putting pressure on the back of your legs. Pressure on this area prevents the blood from returning from the lower leg, this can cause varicose veins. If your chair allows you to make and adjustment, make the adjustment. If not, put something under your feet to eliminate the pressure on the back side of the knee. If you use a keyboard keep your hands and wrists straight. Any deviation from this can lead to carpal tunnel issues.

Below is a humorous example of both good and bad ergonomics. Pay attention and learn.

I hope this has been helpful.

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould