Headache Treatment in Sandy, UT

Specific Chiropractic Care In Sandy, UT

What is a subluxation and how can it cause a headache?

A subluxation is when one of the bones in your spine (especially the top three in your neck) gets slightly stuck or shifted, irritating the nerves that run right up into your skull. That irritation creates a neurological storm—your brain starts overreacting to normal signals, and boom, tension or migraine-style headaches show up even though nothing “hurts” in your neck yet. It’s like a quiet traffic jam on the highway to your head that eventually backs everything up.

How can adjustments benefit a patient with headaches?

Precise chiropractic adjustments—especially to the upper neck—take pressure off those irritated nerves and calm your stressed brain patterns almost instantly. Studies (like Heidi Haavik’s EEG work) show adjustments can drop headache intensity by 50–70 % and cut frequency in half because they help your brain stop over-firing pain signals. Patients walk out lighter, clearer, and usually say, “I didn’t realize my neck was the problem until it wasn’t.”

What makes chiropractic care superior to the conventional treatment model?

Conventional medicine usually hands you a pill or injection to quiet the symptom and sends you out the door; chiropractic actually finds the stuck joint, stressed nerve pattern, or compensation that’s creating the pain and corrects it so your body stops sounding the alarm. We use real diagnostics—posture scans, nerve checks, sometimes EEG-style stress readings—to see what’s really going on instead of guessing. The result? You get lasting relief and better performance instead of a lifetime subscription to meds that never fix the fire, just the smoke.

Why is it important to get to the root cause of the problem?

Masking pain is like putting a piece of tape over the check-engine light and hoping the engine doesn’t blow up on the freeway. Ignore the root long enough and that “little” headache or back ache turns into chronic pain, disc issues, or a nervous system that’s stuck in survival mode. When we remove the actual interference, your brain finally relaxes, your tissues heal, and you get your life back instead of just surviving the next flare-up.

Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan

Why are exercises important for headache relief?

Adjustments calm the storm, but targeted exercises teach the deep neck and shoulder stabilizers to hold that new alignment so your brain doesn’t slide right back into protection mode. Without them, it’s like waxing your board and never tuning it—the correction fades and the headaches creep back in. Ten minutes a day of the right moves can cut headache days by 50–70 % because you’re literally rewiring the muscle memory that was feeding the pain.

How could our muscles cause headaches?

Tight or overworked muscles in your neck, shoulders, and jaw (think forward-head-from-phones posture) pull on the base of your skull and irritate the nerves and dura (the covering around your brain). That referral pattern is why so many people feel headaches right behind the eyes or across the forehead when the real culprit is a muscle spasm they didn’t even know they had.

How are our muscles affected by a subluxation?

When a vertebra gets stuck, your brain instantly tightens some muscles and weakens others to “guard” the area—like putting the brakes on one side and flooring the gas on the other. Over time those guarded muscles get rock-hard, tired, and start firing pain straight into your head while the weak ones let everything drift even farther off track.

What are some good headache exercises?

Chin tucks (pull your chin straight back like you’re making a double chin), scapular wall slides, doorway pec stretches, and gentle yes/no head nods with a light hand on your head for resistance. Do them daily—10–15 reps each—and you’ll feel your neck start to move smoother and your headaches chill out.

What are the exercises designed to do?

The exercises retrain your deep neck stabilizers and posture muscles so your adjustments actually hold and your brain stops bracing. ShockWave therapy (not laser—actual radial shockwave) is a handheld device that sends fast acoustic pulses deep into tight muscles, tendons, and trigger points to break up scar tissue, boost blood flow, and kickstart healing in spots nothing else can reach.

ShockWave

What is ShockWave therapy?

How does it work for headaches?

For cervicogenic and tension headaches, we run the ShockWave along the upper traps, levator scapulae, and suboccipital muscles—those exact spots that yank on your skull. The pulses dissolve the knots, calm the nerve irritation, and give your brain the green light to relax instead of staying in fight-or-flight headache mode.

What are its effects?

Most people feel looser and lighter after one session; by session 3–6 the majority say their headache days drop by 70–90 %. It also speeds tissue repair, drops inflammation, and makes the adjustments hold way longer because the muscles aren’t fighting us anymore.

What is a shockwave session like?  What does it feel like?

You sit or lie comfortably while we glide the applicator over the tight spots with gel—it feels like a rapid, deep tapping or mini jackhammer (some love it, some say it’s intense but tolerable). Sessions are 5–10 minutes and you might be a little sore the next day like after a hard workout.

Nutritional Supplementation

How does diet play a role in our body’s ability to heal?

Your body rebuilds itself with whatever you feed it—if you’re running on sugar, processed junk, and cheap oils, it stays in an inflamed, stressed state and healing crawls. Feed it clean protein, healthy fats, and colorful plants and you flip the switch: inflammation drops, blood flow improves, and your nervous system finally gets the raw materials to repair instead of just survive. Think of it like trying to tune a race truck with watered-down gas versus premium fuel—same engine, wildly different performance.

What kind of diet is most effective for relieving headaches?

An anti-inflammatory, blood-sugar-stable diet works best: high healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, salmon), quality protein at every meal, and colorful veggies with every bite. Low processed carbs and sugar keep your nervous system calm instead of spiking and crashing.

What foods should patients eat, and which should they avoid?

Eat: wild fish, grass-fed meat, eggs, nuts, seeds, berries, dark leafy greens, broccoli, sweet potatoes, extra-virgin olive oil. 

Avoid: sugar, soda, processed snacks, artificial sweeteners, MSG, excessive caffeine, alcohol especially red wine, and cheap seed oils (canola, soy, corn). Often red meat, aged cheese, gluten, and chocolate can be triggers as well. 

Do you recommend any supplements?  If so, which ones and why?

Top four for headache sufferers:

• Magnesium glycinate (400–600 mg at night) – relaxes muscles and calms the nervous system.
• Omega-3 fish oil (2–3 g EPA/DHA daily) – drops inflammation fast.
• Riboflavin (B2) 400 mg and CoQ10 200 mg – proven in studies to cut migraine frequency 50 %+
• Turmeric/curcumin with black pepper – powerful natural anti-inflammatory.

Common Types of Headaches in Sandy, UT 

Tension Headaches

1. What do they feel like? A tight band squeezing your entire head, pressure at the temples or back of the skull, and stiff neck/shoulders that feel like you’ve been wearing a helmet two sizes too small.
2. What causes them? Stress, bad posture, clenched jaw, and tight upper-neck muscles that pull on the covering of your brain.
3. Best way to get rid of them? Precise upper-neck adjustments to calm the nerves, daily chin tucks + shoulder stretches, magnesium at night, and cutting sugar/caffeine crashes—patients usually drop from daily to almost never in 4–6 weeks.

Migraine Headaches

1. What do they feel like? Throbbing (usually one side), nausea, light/sound sensitivity, sometimes aura or zigzag vision—can knock you out for hours or days.
2. What causes them? Over-excited brain + trigger overload: hormone shifts, dehydration, food triggers (wine, aged cheese, MSG), and often a cranky upper neck that lights the fuse.
3. Best way to get rid of them? Find and fix the neck trigger with gentle adjustments, strict hydration + sleep, magnesium + riboflavin (B2) daily, and an anti-inflammatory diet—many of our migraine people cut attacks by 70–90 % and ditch the rescue meds.

Cluster Headaches

1. What do they feel like? Excruciating stabbing or burning around one eye, red/watery eye, runny nose—comes in waves and feels like the worst pain imaginable.
2. What causes them? Hypothalamus misfiring (your brain’s clock gets drunk), often triggered by alcohol, strong smells, or altitude changes.
3. Best way to get rid of them? High-dose oxygen, neurologist-prescribed preventives, and chiropractic to calm the upper-neck/autonomic storm—helps some people shorten clusters dramatically.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

1. What do they feel like? Electric-shock jolts across the face triggered by wind, chewing, or even smiling—people call it the “suicide disease” because it’s that brutal.
2. What causes them? Usually a blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve or nerve irritation from old trauma/subluxations.
3. Best way to get rid of them? Many get huge relief from gentle upper-cervical adjustments that reduce nerve irritation—some patients go from daily shocks to almost none. Sometimes meds (Tegretol) or surgery are a good route for severe cases.

Allergy or Sinus Headaches

1. What do they feel like? Deep pressure around cheeks, forehead, and eyes—worse when you bend over, often with stuffy nose and post-nasal drip.
2. What causes them? Swollen sinuses from allergies, infections, or weather changes blocking drainage.
3. Best way to get rid of them? Neti pot or saline rinse, local honey, quercetin + vitamin C, and adjustments to open drainage pathways in the neck—clears them way faster than just antihistamines.

Cervicogenic Headache

1. What do they feel like? Dull or sharp pain starting in the neck and shooting to the temple, behind the eye, or forehead—worse with certain head positions.
2. What causes them? Stiff or misaligned upper-neck joints (C1–C3) irritating nerves that refer pain straight into the head.
3. Best way to get rid of them? This is literally our sweet spot—precise adjustments + ShockWave to the tight neck muscles + daily chin tucks. Most people feel 70–100 % better in 4–8 weeks and stay that way.

Concussion Headache

1. What do they feel like? Constant pressure or throbbing, worse with screens or movement, brain fog, and light/sound sensitivity.
2. What causes them? Brain bouncing inside the skull plus neck whiplash that jams the upper cervical joints.
3. Best way to get rid of them? Gentle upper-neck adjustments (when safe), ShockWave to calm inflamed tissues, strict screen/rest protocol, and omega-3 + magnesium—speeds recovery weeks faster than rest alone.

Pregnancy Headache

1. What do they feel like? Tension or migraine-style, often with neck/shoulder tightness and fatigue.
2. What causes them? Hormone surges, posture changes, dehydration, and extra stress on the upper neck from the growing belly.
3. Best way to get rid of them? Safe, gentle adjustments (we’re pregnancy-trained), lots of water, magnesium glycinate, and pregnancy-safe exercises—most moms feel human again without meds.

Whiplash Headache

1. What do they feel like? Deep ache at the base of the skull, sharp pain with turning, often with dizziness or nausea weeks after the crash.
2. What causes them? Upper-neck joints get jammed at high speed, muscles spasm, and nerves stay fired up for months or years.
3. Best way to get rid of them? Early gentle adjustments, ShockWave to break the muscle guarding, and specific rehab exercises—patients who start care fast rarely end up with chronic pain.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Is a chiropractor in Sandy, UT good for headaches?

Absolutely—chiropractors in Sandy like those at White Bison Well-Being specialize in upper-neck adjustments that quiet the nerve irritation causing most tension and cervicogenic headaches, often dropping pain by 50–70% in just a few sessions. It’s like finally tuning the engine that’s been rattling all along.

When should you see a chiropractor for headaches?

If your headaches hit more than once a month, start in your neck, or meds barely touch them, that’s your cue—don’t wait for them to turn chronic. Early care stops the compensation patterns from digging in deeper.

Is a massage or chiropractic better for headaches?

Massage feels amazing for tight muscles and gives quick relief, but chiropractic digs to the root—like a stuck upper-neck joint irritating nerves—and makes the headaches stay gone longer. We often blend both for the win.

Do medical doctors recommend chiropractors for headaches?

Many do, especially for cervicogenic or tension headaches—the American College of Physicians guidelines back chiropractic as a first-line option over meds for non-drug relief. It’s a team play when symptoms point to the spine.

How can I relieve my headaches?

Start with hydration, a quick chin tuck stretch, and cutting caffeine crashes, but for real staying power, get that upper neck checked—it’s where 70% of headaches quietly start.

Can getting your neck adjusted help with headaches?

Heck yes—gentle upper-neck adjustments release the nerve pinch that’s firing pain signals to your head, with studies showing up to 60% fewer headaches after 4–6 sessions. It’s the reset your brain’s been craving.

Is chiropractic effective for migraines?

For sure—research like Dr. Heidi Haavik’s shows adjustments calm over-excited brain patterns, slashing migraine frequency by 50% or more in many folks, especially when neck triggers are involved. No more dreading the next one.

What is a natural way to relieve tension headaches?

Try magnesium glycinate before bed to unwind those clenched neck muscles, paired with a 10-second chin tuck hold—it’s like giving your overworked stabilizers a much-needed vacation without popping a pill.

Who is the best chiropractor in Sandy, UT for headaches?

Hands down, Dr. Travis Arrington at White Bison Well-Being—patients rave about ditching years of headaches after his brain-based adjustments and ShockWave sessions, with perfect 5-star reviews calling it life-changing. (We may be a little biased, but check out our reviews and decide for yourself.)