Are Headaches Cramping Your Style?
Dr. Sarah Leahy Granite
Headaches. What a pain. Often debilitating, headaches can turn the sweetest person into a demon in no time flat.
They can destroy your ability to concentrate, keep you from sleeping, and ruin a night out. So how do you know which type is plaguing you, and what can you do about it? Here we will talk about three of the most common types of headache – migraine, tension, and cluster – along with some natural and conservative treatments that may be just what you’ve been looking for.
The Dreaded Migraine
Migraines are a type of headache that we hear about all too often. Severe, pulsating and unilateral in nature (felt on only the right or left side of the head), migraines can have associated nausea, vomiting, and sensitivities to sound and light, lasting from 4 to 72 hours. This type of headache is also commonly preceded by an aura, usually in the form of a visual (flashing lights or colors) or other sensory disturbance (smells or sounds) warning of a migraine’s onset. Though sometimes associated with genetics or hormones, migraines can also be caused by environmental factors (ie. household cleaners), diet, and physiological factors including stress, tight muscles, and joints that aren’t moving properly.
Let’s Talk Tension
Tension headaches are usually less painful than migraines, with no associated aura or other harsh symptoms. Characterized by a diffuse, mild to moderate pain that is often described as a tight band around the head, tension headaches are very common, though not well understood. Tight muscles in the head and neck are thought to contribute to tension headaches.
The Rare Cluster Headache
Last but not least, the mother of all headaches – cluster. Affecting less than 1 percent of the population, mostly males, cluster headaches are characterized by extreme pain with a boring or drilling quality, usually behind one eye.
Each headache can last from 15 minutes to 3 hours, with several occurring per day. Also known as “suicide headaches” due to the high rate of sufferers attempting suicide to escape the pain, cluster headaches have been described as much worse than giving birth by women who’ve had children. Dr. Peter Goadsby, Professor of Clinical Neurology at University of California, San Francisco referred to them as “probably the worst pain a human can experience.” The underlying cause of cluster headaches is still being researched.
So you have headaches, and maybe now you know which type – now what? As with all medical treatments, it’s best to begin safely and conservatively before moving on to more risky treatments or medications with side effects.
Headache relief is one of the top reasons that patients seek the help of a Doctor of Chiropractic. Because chiropractors are concerned with finding the cause of pain, not just treating the symptoms, their treatments are very effective in relieving headaches that other treatments can’t touch – all without drugs or surgery.
Many headaches have underlying structural causes that could not be diagnosed by traditional tests, such as lack of spinal joint mobility. This can cause inflammation, which can affect nerves that carry pain signals; much like a kink in a garden hose affects water flow. By relieving the pressure on the nerves, headache pain can often be eliminated. Depending on the cause of the headache, some patients may require further medical intervention, but it’s always wise to begin conservatively when it comes to your health.
