You are at work, focusing hard on the task ahead. Suddenly it hits, you feel the sensation of a belt of vice tightening around the top of your head. That’s it, your day is done, you know then and there you will not be able to focus properly until it’s done.
You have just picked the kids up from school, they are excited and full of joy, bursting to tell you all about their day. The noise is getting to you, it’s getting louder and louder, like it is bouncing around your head. And you snap, the rest of the ride home is silent, you are upset at yourself for snapping at the kids.
Do these sound familiar? If so, you are not alone. Headaches are a broad term for crippling conditions which affect 7 out of 10 adults every year. The most common types of headaches include migraines, cluster, tension and cervicogenic. These headaches are caused by the pain sensitive nerves in and around your head sending PAINFUL signals to the brain.
These headaches are not only limited to adults! Actually roughly ⅔ of children will have suffered a headache by the age of 15.
There are 5 common headaches we see as chiropractors, which are infamous among the general population. The cluster headache, the tension headache, the hormone headache, the chemical headaches and finally migraines!
Firstly the CLUSTER headache, this can be described as severe burning or piercing pain. They commonly occur behind one eye or on one side of the face. These headaches come in a series and each headache lasts from 15 mins up to 3 hours and can experience 1 to 4 headaches a day.
Next, the TENSION headache. These headaches are often caused by stress and you may feel a general dull aching or a tight band. The stress that you get can come from psychological stress, or I can also come from physical stress within your body.
The 3rd is a HORMONE headache. Now this affects women during their menstrual cycle, or if they are on birth control (or may be when they are pregnant). These headaches occur from a hormonal imbalance. Now this imbalance may be coming from your diet or stress levels however as chiropractors we typically see a structural component which causes your symptoms to be worse.
The CHEMICAL headache, these headaches can be caused by a variety of different things. From dehydration, to either too much or too little coffee (yes you read that right). If your body is used to a certain level of coffee and is deprived of it, it can result in headaches.
The most common headache we see is a MIGRAINE. They are described as a deep intense pain from within your head, this pain usually lasts hours and can last days at a time. Most people are sensitive to light and sound and sometimes even smell. If you experience migraines it is important to try and identify your triggers. Keeping a headache diary is a great way of doing it!
When these headaches hit, the common option is to reach for that medicine cabinet and grab the closest thing to provide that relief. But once the tablet wears off the headache rears its ugly head again.
What if there was another way? Well simple there is. Get in touch today and see how our chiropractors can help in reducing the amount and severity of your headaches. Call us on 07 5562 1311 and let us help you!
Citation:
National Institutes of Health. (2021). Headache: Hope Through Research | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Retrieved 10 August 2021, from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Hope-Through-Research/Headache-Hope-Through-Research
Haas, M., Bronfort, G., Evans, R., Schulz, C., Vavrek, D., Takaki, L., Hanson, L., Leininger, B., & Neradilek, M. B. (2018). Dose-response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for care of cervicogenic headache: a dual-center randomized controlled trial. The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society, 18(10), 1741–1754. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2018.02.019