If you find yourself frequently with a headache at the end of your shift, you may be experiencing a repetitive motion strain in your neck. Tense muscles are the cause. Your local chiropractic care center offers non-invasive treatments on an outpatient basis to give you relief. Here is what is causing your pain and how a chiropractor can help.

Repetitive Motion Injuries

Holding your head and neck in one position for long periods puts stress on muscles. As they become exhausted from the stress, muscles tense up, which decreases the circulation in the area and irritates the nerves. This nerve irritation causes the tension headaches you develop at work. The key to getting rid of the headaches is to relax those tense neck and upper back muscles.

Chiropractic Treatment Of Tension Headaches

Your chiropractor uses several techniques to relax your tense neck and back muscles. Some treatments offer immediate relief from the pain while others help prevent further occurrences. Some of the treatment techniques used in a chiropractic center include:

Active Release Technique (ART) - Your chiropractor will feel along the muscles in your neck and upper back for tense muscle groups. They will then massage those muscles in the direction that they normally move. This relaxes those muscles so they will stretch back out and relieve the tension on the nerves and circulation. The doctor may also feel scar tissue, caused by torn muscle fibers during the tension. By applying light pressure over the scar tissue, it is broken up to be absorbed by the body. This also improves the blood flow in the area.

Myofascial Release Technique (MRT) - Muscles that are under a lot of stress will contract and create a tight knot that the chiropractor can feel under the skin. These knotted muscles may also cause muscles spasms that the doctor can detect. The doctor will then use their knuckles or a special tool to apply steady pressure over the knot. This relaxes those tense muscles and stops any spasms.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) - Electrodes are placed over the tense muscles and a small electrical charge is sent into them. This reduces your pain immediately, but only temporarily. The chiropractor may use this technique to relieve some of your pain so that the other treatments can be more effective.

Physical Therapy - The chiropractor may have you work with a physical therapist to strengthen the muscles in your neck and upper back. You'll begin with stretching exercises to relax any tense muscles in the area. You'll then be shown how to build up those muscles so they will resist future repetitive motion issues. You'll be given exercises that you can do before you go to work and during your shift to prevent your tension headaches from developing. Click the following link to learn more about this topic.