“Why do I get headaches after chiropractic care?”

Could be alterations in the nervous system, changes within blood flow of the muscles and nerves, muscle activation you're not use to based on postural and movement changes, or any number of things. Best thing to do is ask your chiropractor at your next visit.

There could be several reasons for this to happen. After your exam, your chiropractor determined that you were a candidate for adjustments. In many cases, people will feel soreness after an adjustment, especially if this is the first one ever or the first one in a long time. I compare adjustments to having braces put on or when the braces are tightened throughout the time you have them. A change is being made to your body and sometimes there will be new or additional soreness. As long as it is nothing too extreme, it is usually considered "within normal limits". The headaches should stop after a few treatments. If they don't, I would change the adjusting technique and see how you respond to that.

This is not typical though occasionally patients will have soreness after the adjustments. Processes like unwinding and retracing are also reasons that could be triggering these headaches. It would be good to know where you have had headaches in the past or if it’s just since getting adjusted. A few other factors may be the culprit. One common cause is that your spine has been out of alignment for a long time and getting it back into the correct position is shifting ligaments and muscles that haven’t moved in quite some time. Another reason we have occasionally seen us that pay placing the spine in the correct position the body isn’t used that new placement affecting nerve sensations.

If a patient is exceptionally toxic and inflamed due to systemic processes or inflammatory diets it could be a detox effect. Some patients aren’t consistently doing their corrective care exercises and traction of the cervical spine which doesn’t allow the muscles and ligaments to respond as favorably to the adjustment. Loss of the normal c-shaped curve in the neck can cause chronic issues. Finally but least likely the style, approach, or type of adjustment isn’t working for your body. Either have the Dr reanalyze the X-rays of the neck and shift adjustments accordingly or possibly seek another Chiro for a new fresh look. Either way, keep getting your power turned on with the healing power of chiropractic!!!!

You may have to ask your chiropractor to alter their cervical adjustment. Either a prone cervical adjustment or an instrument-based adjustment may benefit you. Everyone reacts differently to a cervical adjustment. You may have a specific reaction that causes headaches post cervical adjustment.

If you are getting headaches after each treatment, there is something wrong. I would discuss with your doctor.

Jay H Schwartz, DC, DIBCN, DIBE

Your body reacts to chemicals in and outside of your body. For instance, a strong perfume can cause mild headaches. Your spine serves as a busy pathway for chemical signals between your brain and
the rest of the body. When your spine is misaligned, these chemical signals are blocked. The kink causes the accumulation of chemicals around your vertebrae and muscle joints. As the segmental dysfunction is removed it can cause the release of these chemical signals and toxins. Therefore, after the chiropractic adjustment, a sudden release of so many chemical signals overwhelm the nervous system, and you experience mild to severe headaches. You got questions I got answers!

*Dr. Elra A. Morgan*
*Chiropractor* | *American Chiropractic Medical Services (AMCS)*
W: 810-420-0801 | F: 810-420-0805
A: 621 Chartier Rd, Ste B, Marine City, MI 48039
E: acms2020@gmail.com
W: www.acmsclinics.com

That would certainly make me unhappy, it could be that the adjustment is releasing a bunch of toxins, so drinking a lot of water before you go and after might help. There are more than 300 chiropractic techniques. Maybe the one you are receiving isn't right for you. Have you told your chiropractor that you are getting headaches after your adjustment? That's where I would start to get to the cause of your problem.

There is a possibility that you may have trigger points in the neck that are aggravated with adjustments or the adjustments are highly aggressive for you. Ensure your hydrated and blood pressure is within a healthy range as well.

If you are getting headaches after a chiropractic treatment, please let the chiropractor know. There could me many reasons for this, but I would not think it's normal. Your chiropractor should do more investigation to the cause of these headaches. Do you have an x-ray or MRI of your neck? Do you have muscle spasms? Are you dehydrated? What type of an adjustment was performed? These are all questions (among many more) that I would be asking.

This is not a good sign. Question - have you had any neck trauma? Sports injuries, concussions, slip and fall, bonking your head, auto accidents. If so, then an upper cervical instability may be a contributing case of past Chiro adjustments. A digital motion x-ray could help understand what is happening with the stabilizers of the neck, your ligaments. If this is a factor, then upper cervical adjustments would not be indicated. A loss of normal spine curve also reduces the amount of oxygen and blood supply to your brain which also could be contributing to headaches. This can be evaluated by a proper biomechanical assessment of your neck.