Headaches affect many people and can be very debilitating. Because they are so common, the majority of people believe that getting a headache is a normal part of life. However, this is not the case, it can be a sign that something is wrong. Although medication may help relieve the pain they do not correct the actual cause and can produce unwanted side effects.
Anatomy of the neck
When the bones (vertebrae) in the neck are not supporting your head, this will affect the nerves, muscles, and blood flow to your head. Quite often in headaches, the veins and arteries within the brain and skull are either inflamed, compressed, or stretched. Which in turn causes pain around the head.
Headaches Types
There are a number of different types that people frequently experience. These include:
- Cluster headaches – This excruciating type of pain usually occurs on one side of the head only. It can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours. They can recur regularly, even several times per day over a certain length of time. One or both eyes may experience redness and watering. Sometimes Cluster headaches can be followed by a headache-free period of months or even years. They are generally more prevalent in men than in women.
- Migraines – They are an irritating, very painful, and severe type of headache. This headache occurs three times more often in women than in men. Medical experts have found that genes can play a role. Studies have shown that brain cell activity can affect blood vessel and nerve cell function which can lead to the migraine. Other triggers may include sudden changes in hormones, caused by stress, or altered eating and sleeping patterns.
- Tension headaches – The most common type, they usually feel like a constant dull aching or pressure on both sides of the head or at the back of the head and neck, instead of throbbing pain. Triggers include stress, anxiety, poor posture, and jaw clenching (either while someone is asleep or awake). They can become chronic if left untreated.
- Sinus headaches – They develop from an infection in the sinuses and can be misdiagnosed. Typically, people think they have it when they actually have a migraine. One study learned that 88% of individuals with a history of the sinus type probably really had migraines. While symptoms like sinus pressure, nasal congestion, and watery eyes can happen in both, migraines often cause nausea and light sensitivity, while the sinus type does not.
- Rebound headaches – These are chronic headaches that are actually caused by medication overuse. Regularly taking any pain reliever like acetaminophen (Panadol) or ibuprofen (Nurofen) more than two times per week, or migraine drugs for more than 10 days a month for just a few months can put you at risk of developing them.
Treatment for headaches
You will usually try to treat head ailments without drugs in the first place. The most important thing to reduce seizure frequency is to find triggers. This can be stress, different foods, too little, or too much sleep or irregular meals.
The chiropractor will gather information about your lifestyle and conduct a thorough examination of the musculoskeletal system, as well as taking blood pressure and a full neurological examination if necessary. A thorough examination of the neck adjustment is always helpful for most patients with headaches when all or part of the cause of the problem may lie there.
Chiropractic care for headaches works by releasing the areas of tension around the head, neck, and jaw and re-training the spine to prevent the pain to come back. Eliminating the causes of spinal stress addresses both the muscle and nerve tension and the resulting headaches. To finish, advice on posture, ergonomics, and sleeping positions is also given by our chiropractors to guarantee long term relief.
If you would like to make an appointment with one of the chiropractors at Chiro & Sports Med simply call our office on 9817 2005 and one of our friendly staff will organize an appointment for you.