Neck Pain/Headaches Specialist

What causes headaches?

While headaches are widespread, they’re not a normal condition, and you don’t have to suffer through persistent pain. Most people get an occasional headache because of allergies or stress. If you experience headaches more frequently, it could be a sign of a medical condition that needs professional attention.

Some of the causes of headaches or migraines include:

• Allergies, including food allergies and seasonal allergies
• Chronic stress and anxiety
• High blood pressure
• Injury or trauma to the head and spine
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Spinal conditions like arthritis or nerve impingement
• Strain or tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulders, and back
• Injury or trauma like whiplash and sports injuries

At Lifestyle Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the medical experts ask many questions about your headaches and lifestyle and provide a thorough exam to identify the root cause of your headaches. Once your provider identifies the cause, they create and implement a customized treatment plan to help you find relief.

What’s the difference between migraines and headaches?

Migraines are less common than other types of head pain and affect up to 30 million Americans each year. Unlike tension or cluster headaches, migraines are a collection of often debilitating neurological symptoms, including:

• Dizziness
• Vomiting
• Sensitivity to light, sound, smell, and other stimulation
• Blurred vision or auras
• Numbness and tingling in the face

During a migraine attack, throbbing and severe pain occurs on one, and occasionally both, sides of the head. The attacks can last as little as four hours and as long as 72 hours.

What are the common causes of neck pain?

One of the most common causes of neck pain is poor posture. Whether you spend your day slumped over a desk with your neck craned to see your screen or, like most Americans, spend more than four hours a day with your head tilted down to look at your phone, poor posture stresses the muscles in your neck and upper back, leading to chronic pain and reduced mobility.

Other causes of neck pain include:

• Arthritis
• Herniated discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Neck strain
• Neck injuries such as whiplash

If you have neck pain that lasts for more than a few days and you don’t get relief with rest, over-the-counter painkillers, and/or hot or cold compresses, make an appointment for assessment and treatment.

How are migraines, headaches, and neck pain treated?

At Lifestyle Medical Center, the integrative team provides a comprehensive assessment before creating a customized treatment plan to address the specific type of pain and related symptoms you’re experiencing. The providers avoid using pain relief medication because these drugs only dull your pain and don’t do anything to correct the underlying cause of your pain.

Typically, the team at Lifestyle Medical Center uses a combination of medical treatments, including chiropractic, injections, pressure wave therapy, and rehabilitative therapy to treat your neck pain, headaches, and/or migraines.

The medical team is also expertly trained and licensed to use Botox® as an alternative treatment for headaches. Botox temporarily paralyzes subdermal muscles, which can relieve the tension and nerve compression responsible for many headaches.

Call Lifestyle Medical Center or make an appointment online today for customized treatments to relieve your neck pain, headaches, and migraines.