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I JUST HAD ANOTHER reminder that, when managing our health and the costs that come with it, we need to be our own best advocates.
Last September, I started developing headaches. Every day, I’d wake up with a dull ache in my left temple area. The headache would often build during the day and, by evening, I was feeling washed out and pretty miserable.
I’m fortunate not to suffer from migraines, but tension headaches have been the bane of my existence for many years. They were the price I paid for working in the high-octane corporate world, where I had global teams to manage and demanding bosses who didn’t know a weekend from a weekday. Tension came with the territory, and so, for me, did the headaches.
But those tension headaches would usually go away when I took a couple of ibuprofen and got a good night’s sleep. But these recent headaches weren’t going anywhere. They were there every single morning when I woke up, hovering in the background like gremlins aiming to ruin my day.
For anyone who has suffered from frequent headaches, you know how debilitating they can be. They steal your joy and make it hard to find the motivation to get anything done. Headache sufferers also know how hard they can be to diagnose. Many things can bring them on—stress, dehydration, alcohol, sinus congestion, allergies, to name just a few.
I was pretty sure that stress wasn’t the primary cause of these headaches. I’m retired, after all, and am no longer pedaling on the hamster wheel. While I have responsibilities in my new, second-act career as an author and communications consultant, they’re nothing compared to what I used to face on a day-to-day basis.
I drink a lot of water during the day, so dehydration wasn’t the culprit. Neither was alcohol since I’m a lightweight in that department.
Sinus headaches? Nope. I’ve had them in the past and know what they feel like.
Allergies? Unlikely. I don’t suffer from allergies and wasn’t sneezing or experiencing other symptoms.
Down the list I went, trying to figure it out. I hate going to the doctor, especially now that I’m insured through the health care exchange and have a high-deductible plan. I bore with it, week after week, hoping the headaches would resolve themselves.
When January came around and I was still having them, I bit the bullet and went to see my primary doctor. He scratched his head and diagnosed me with something called a “new persistent daily headache,” a broad term for a sudden-onset headache that goes on for months without resolving itself. Unfortunately, he told me, no one is sure what causes them.
At his suggestion, I went to see my dentist to rule out bruxism (teeth-grinding) or a jaw dysfunction. The dentist suspected a temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and put me on a soft diet. If that didn’t work, we could go the route of a custom mouth guard. But that, he warned, would not be cheap.
I was hopeful I’d found the answer. But after a month on a soft diet, I didn’t notice any difference in my headaches. As a test, I picked up a store-bought mouth guard and started wearing it at night. That, too, didn’t make a difference.
At that point, I made an appointment with the neurologist recommended by my primary doctor. After an examination and blood tests to rule out anything serious, the neurologist said I was likely having muscle spasms and put me on a 10-day regimen of heavy-duty naproxen.
All the analgesics did was mask the pain and, after 10 days, the headaches were back in full force. By now, I had shelled out a few hundred bucks on doctor visits and tests. The neurologist’s office wanted me to come back to evaluate other more invasive—and expensive—options like Botox injections, but I didn’t go back.
Then one day last March, while I was out walking the dog, I struck up a conversation with a neighbor who had just come back from an adjustment at her chiropractor. I asked her why she was seeing the chiropractor and she told me she’d been having daily headaches for years. After a few weeks of regular adjustments, though, the headaches were remarkably better.
I’d never visited a chiropractor, believing they were quacks. But desperate for relief, I made an appointment that day. The following Saturday, I was sitting at the chiropractor’s office getting evaluated. An x-ray showed that the cervical region of my spine had lost much of its curvature. Likely, the chiropractor said, my headaches were cervicogenic in nature.
I found it interesting that none of the other doctors I’d visited had said anything about my headaches being cervicogenic, but it made sense to me. I’d been having neck pain, on and off, for years from all the decades I’d spent staring turtle-necked into computer screens. Now, it seemed, I was paying the price.
I signed up for a three-month plan with the chiropractor covering 40 visits. I started noticing improvement in the headaches after my first few adjustments, and the improvement has continued since. I also started seeing a physical therapist (PT) to work on stretching and strengthening my neck muscles.
The combination of the chiropractor and physical therapist has been miraculous. My headaches are now largely gone—without the need for expensive interventions.
Just as important, I’m better educated now. Both the chiropractor and PT have taken the time to show me how the cervical spine, neck and head muscles work together, and why it’s important to approach pain in a holistic way. Every day, I’m doing the neck-strengthening exercises recommended by the PT. I’ve woven them into my routine.
What I’ve learned is that every medical practitioner comes to a health issue with a bag of tricks that he or she is familiar with. It’s up to us, as patients, to be aware of all the options out there, so we can make informed decisions about our health.
James Kerr led global communications, public relations and social media for a number of Fortune 500 technology firms before leaving the corporate world to pursue his passion for writing and storytelling. His debut book, “The Long Walk Home: How I Lost My Job as a Corporate Remora Fish and Rediscovered My Life’s Purpose,” was published in 2022 by Blydyn Square Books. Jim blogs at PeaceableMan.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesBKerr and check out his previous articles.
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I am glad to hear you have found relief with the chiropractor. As another commenter pointed out, there are good and bad people in any field. Years ago I went to a fantastic chiropractor who did not prescribe the “see you next week” regime. I went for neck and shoulder spasms. Usually one, maybe two treatments and I was fine for over a year. Unfortunately, he retired. Then I went to another chiropractor, and she wanted to do an MRI, among other things. I found a great massage therapist instead. You are absolutely right, we have to be our own health care advocates.
As a retired orthopedic Physical Therapist, and certified Athletic Trainer my philosophy was to give my patients the tools (education, exercises, and modalities) to eventually independently manage/relieve their symptoms. I found that Chiropractors tended to preach a dependent relationship (having to receive perpetual treatment)
Similar to what Paula mentioned below, this has been in the news recently, after reading this, I would never want a chiropractor working on my neck, be careful. woman paralyzed in chiropractor visit gets new home (nypost.com)
A good diagnosis can be difficult when the patient presents a condition that doesn’t check off all the boxes. But as was mentioned, it’s important to rule out some thing that needs immediate attention like a tumor. It’s very possible that the Botox treatment would have solved and masked the issue requiring ongoing treatment. Practitioners have to keep an open mind about other options and not become a one solution solves all. Your dentist was conservative by having you try an over-the-counter appliance. He could’ve put you through elaborate bite plate and occlusal adjustment therapy. Suddenly stopping the intake of coffee can result in a headache condition. Personally, over the years, I’ve had experiences with Orthopedists solving a problem with one injection, and other times offering surgery that was solved by PT. Second opinions are important when major treatment is offered. I’ve been to recommended chiropractors and acupuncturist, who either made things worse or didn’t help. It sometimes just takes perseverance to find a solution.
I just wonder what would have happened if you did not run into the person while walking the dog. More years of headaches?
Years ago after a decade of back pain, it got so bad, I went to see Dr. John Sarno, the author of the Mind Body Prescription, in NYC.
Say mind-body and its voodoo and of course insurance doesn’t cover.
He did a physical exam then sat me down and asked about everything i might be angry about as far as i could remember. He had me read the book twice and read my angry list twice a day for two weeks.
After a week my pain was gone.
Looking at my angry list morning and evening for a week, I think something changed in me. It is like shining a light at all the dark corners to see what’s lurking there, taking it out and examining it.
You know how it feels when you sat down and thoughtfully created a list of all your-to-dos? Your worries feel less and there a sense of things being under your control.
Somehow reversing anger suppression makes physical pain go away.
Generally speaking, when it comes anything chronic, I try traditional Chinese medicine first. For example I’ve had great results for eczema without the use of steroid creams. Anything acute I’ll take myself to the MD.
Chiropractic manipulation of the neck can cause permanant paralysis . It’s not common but it happens , and it happened to my next door neighbor, who was about 40 years old at the time. Physical therapy is much safer for neck (cervical spine) treatment and is covered by Medicare.
Medicare has some strange rules for chiro care – like the Xray can’t be done by a chiropractor and treatment is covered for only a certain diagnosis called ” subfluxation”
“subluxation”
I went through the same thing. Went to my primary then a neurologist, then an ENT, then a dentist, then a an eye doctor, then an acupuncturist and then to a chiropractor (I’m sure there was a witch doctor in there somewhere). Had an MRI, CT scan, a CT scan with contrast, etc., etc. Suffered for close to 3 years. Finally my neurologist asked me if I had tried PT. Went and they did some trigger point therapy on my back (very intensive), added stretches and strengthening exercises and the headaches have disappeared. Wish I had started with the PT. But I have learned my lesson.
You may have omitted this, but with a new, persisting late adult onset focal headache, you would want to exclude serious causes like brain tumor and subdural hemorrhage with a MRI. .
Jim, not to be harsh, but in addition to your computer-positioned neck issue and the varying medical diagnoses, you were also a victim of your own preconceived notions. Sentiments like “I hate going to the doctor” and “believing they were quacks” are understandable, but they can also be disastrous. If the cause of your pain had been some form of head or neck cancer, waiting four months to see your PCP could have literally been fatal.
I self-diagnosed the pain in my belly as a stress reaction to buying one home and selling another at the same time. Only when I doubled over at a meeting with a realtor did I finally get it checked out. The cancer was found just in time.
So I hope another lesson you learned was “don’t wait”.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. At 78, I have gradually learned that all medical providers have limitations. If your condition does not fit their paradigm (bag of tricks), you need to look elsewhere.
A woman who worked for me once told me that “the cemetery is full of people who did exactly as the doctor ordered”.
Your experience also highlights the importance of getting a second opinion. The first author of the article you referenced on cervicogenic pain is a neurologist and his article referenced several articles about this condition in neurological publications. As someone who has suffered from migraines since I was young, I can attest to the fact that neurologists are not equally competent.
I am a big fan of chiropractors – at least if you find the right one. Mine saved me from foot surgery, but some only do spines (and that’s all Medicare will cover). Same with PT, a good PT is worth her weight in gold, but some are better than others….
I’m also a big fan of chiro and PT. But for chiro it is important to get a well-trained practitioner. Not all the training is the same. I like those trained in the Palmer techniques.
Chiropractic care is a valid treatment, but unfortunately subject to abuse as too many people use it as a feel good treatment almost like a massage.
My wife’s goes regularly for her back and says it helps, but temporarily.
When I was managing health plans we had a family of five each going twice a week to a chiropractor. We finally refused to pay. Medicare and all health coverage monitor and limit use of chiropractic care, some with fixed limit or close monitoring.
Before my rheumatologist told me to stop I had a massage therapist as well as a chiropractor. Now I am in remission I will probably go back to both. I paid both myself.
There are charlatans in all professions, and not all allopathic medicine is safe, effective or reasonably priced.
The history of chiropractic began in 1895 when Daniel David Palmer of Iowa performed the first chiropractic adjustment on a partially deaf janitor, Harvey Lillard. Palmer claims to have had principles of chiropractic treatment passed along to him during a seance by a long-dead doctor named Dr. Jim Atkinson.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chiropractic
Doesn’t alter the fact that it works. Allopathic medicine wasn’t looking too good back then, either. The germ theory had only recently won out over miasma.
Recommend reading “A Short History of Living Longer“.
The placebo effect has been shown to be real and I’ve yet to see a convincing randomized control study that has demonstrated the effectiveness of chiropractic manipulations.
IMO any benefit from a chiropractor is short-lived and/or due to their adoption of techniques developed by physical therapists.
So I should have let the podiatrist do foot surgery? I think not. And the disappearance of a bunion can hardly be attributed to the placebo effect. Not, for that matter, that there’s anything wrong with the placebo effect, I expect that it’s responsible for a lot of relief.
See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3716373/ – quotes: “Spinal manipulation is an effective care option for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain.” and “Spinal manipulation was found to be effective for acute and subacute neck pain.” and “Spinal manipulation is an effective option for migraine and cervicogenic headaches.”
It doesn’t surprise me that an article by three chiropractors that was written in a journal in the field of alternative medicine would tout the benefits of spinal manipulation.
Always begin health care with least intensive approach that is reasonable and work your way up as necessary. As you said, each practitioner has their own bag of tricks based on their training.
Go first to an orthopedic surgeon for pain in your knee and guess what …
Jim, I was happy to follow your story to a good conclusion. Your last paragraph is very insightful, and it’s not just true of healthcare.