A Predictable Late-Summer Pattern
Late July and August bring a specific kind of headache patient into Back 2 Health Chiropractic: students and young adults who’ve spent a summer indoors on screens more than usual, avoiding the worst of the Lubbock heat, and who are now dealing with headaches that build through the day and settle into the base of the skull or across the temples. Dr. Brett Chavez, D.C. sees this pattern often enough this time of year to recognize it immediately.
Not All Headaches Are the Same
Before treating a headache, Dr. Chavez identifies what type it actually is, since the source and treatment approach differ:
- Tension-type headaches, the most common kind seen in this practice, often tied to muscle tension in the neck and upper shoulders
- Cervicogenic headaches, originating from restriction or dysfunction in the upper cervical spine that refers pain up into the head
- Migraines, a distinct neurological condition with its own triggers and patterns, sometimes with associated symptoms like light sensitivity or nausea
Chiropractic care tends to be most directly effective for the first two categories, where a mechanical or muscular source in the neck is contributing to the headache pattern.
Why Prolonged Screen Time Contributes
Extended time on a laptop or phone, especially in the forward-head posture that’s common with casual seating, loads the muscles at the base of the skull and upper neck in a sustained way. Those muscles, the suboccipitals in particular, are directly connected to headache patterns when they stay chronically tight, which is exactly what happens after weeks of extended screen time without much postural variation.
Why Heat Compounds the Problem
Dehydration is a well-documented headache trigger on its own, and Lubbock’s summer heat makes staying adequately hydrated a bigger daily task than most people account for. Add in more time spent avoiding the outdoors, and less overall movement, and the combination of dehydration and prolonged static posture tends to produce exactly the tension headache pattern Dr. Chavez sees walk through the door this time of year.
How Dr. Chavez Evaluates and Treats These Headaches
The evaluation includes checking cervical spine mobility, palpating for tenderness and trigger points in the neck and upper shoulders, and mapping where the headache pain actually travels, since that pattern often points directly to which structures are involved. Treatment typically combines:
- Chiropractic care to restore mobility to restricted segments in the upper cervical spine
- Massage therapy to release the chronic tension in the neck and shoulder muscles contributing to the pattern
Practical Changes That Help Alongside Care
Simple adjustments make a real difference: propping a laptop to eye level rather than looking down at it, taking movement breaks every thirty to forty-five minutes, and treating hydration as a daily target rather than an afterthought during hot months.
When a Headache Needs More Than a Chiropractic Evaluation
Dr. Chavez always screens for warning signs that point away from a mechanical, tension-driven headache: a sudden, severe headache unlike any before, one accompanied by vision changes, confusion, or fever, or a headache that started after a head injury. Those patterns warrant medical evaluation rather than chiropractic care, and Dr. Chavez refers appropriately whenever a headache’s presentation doesn’t fit the tension or cervicogenic pattern that responds well to spinal and muscular treatment.
If headaches have become a regular part of your week, schedule a visit with Dr. Chavez at Back 2 Health Chiropractic in Lubbock to find out what’s actually driving them.
