Headache Treatment in North Vancouver
Headaches can come from a lot of places, but for many people, the neck and upper back play a bigger role than they'd expect. I assess your whole movement system, not just treat the headache itself, so we can identify what may actually be contributing to it and build a plan that addresses it, not just the symptom in front of us.
Your Headache Has a Cause. Let's Find It.
What is causing your headache?
Headaches are a common things people bring in, and the underlying cause varies a lot from person to person. Getting the right diagnosis is what determines the right treatment. Here are some of the most common contributing patterns I assess:
Tension Headache
The most common type, a dull, pressing pain around the forehead, temples, or back of the head, often triggered by muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and base of the skull.
Post Concussion Headache
A persistent headache following a head injury or concussion, often accompanied by neck discomfort, and best managed with a careful, graduated approach (see my Concussion Rehabilitation page for more).
Cervicogenic Headache
A headache that actually originates from structures in the neck, joints, muscles, or nerves, typically starting at the base of the skull and radiating forward, and frequently mistaken for a tension headache.
Posture Related Headache
Poor sleep, screen time, and prolonged positions at a desk all contribute to headache patterns, often layered on top of an underlying neck or postural factor.
What to expect during your session.
1
Comprehensive assessment
Every visit starts with a full movement and clinical assessment of your neck, upper back, and daily load tolerance, so we understand what may actually be contributing to your headaches before recommending any treatment.
2
A plan build around you
From there, we build an individualized plan that combines manual therapy with active, exercise-based rehabilitation. You'll know exactly what we're addressing, why, and what the process looks like going forward.
3
Built for long-term resilience
We track your progress at every visit, reassessing regularly and adjusting your plan as you improve. The goal is genuine, long-term resilience and a real return to the activities you care about, not an open-ended treatment plan.
How long does recovery take?
This depends on what's contributing to your headaches and how long it's been going on. For many people, meaningful improvement happens within a few weeks of addressing the underlying factors, though this varies by individual.
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Recovery also isn't purely time-based, it follows the same approximate timeline as most soft tissue injuries, which is why your plan is built around where you currently are in that process rather than a one-size-fits-all timeline.
Can chiropractic care help if I get migraines?
While primary migraines are neurological, I can often help manage the neck tension and joint stiffness that frequently act as triggers or accompany migraine episodes.
Will my neck need to be adjusted or "cracked"?
Joint manipulation is one tool I can use, but if you're not comfortable with it, there are other manual therapy and active movement techniques that can achieve similar results.