Headaches are the number one reason people seek chiropractic care as well as medical attention. The American Council on Headache Education reported there are over 45 million people who suffer from headaches,
Headaches can be divided into primary headaches and secondary headaches. Primary headaches have no link to a specific disease or injury as opposed to headaches caused by a space occupying lesion of the brain, accident or some other specific disease which are know as secondary headaches.
Which type do you have?
Brief painful bunches
15 headaches per month
Tightening of neck muscles
Centered around one eye
Dull, steady pain over entire head
Soreness and tight neck motion
Paralyzing pain that puts your life on hold
Which of the above descriptions best fits you?
A doctor will determine which type of headache you have by:
Obtaining a complete history to rule out pathology and secondary headaches.
Identifying trigger factors and causes.
Manual palpation of the joints of the neck and upper back to determine movement restriction.
Taking cervical x-rays including flexion/extension views.
Chronic Tension Headaches
Chronic tension headaches are frequently causes by dysfunctional neck muscles cause by misalignments of the cervical spine. Misalignments of the vertebrae will reflexively trigger muscles to tighten in the neck and head, and increase the firing of receptors called nociceptors which causes pain sensation. In addition to painful muscles, this can alter blood pressure in the cranium.
Tension headaches are the most common variety. Many patients labeled with a diagnosis of tension headaches may have headache originating from functional abnormalities of the cervical spine at a specific level.
Tension Headaches Facts
Most common variety
Affects women more than men
Tightening of muscles in the face, head and neck
Dull steady pain over the whole head
46% of these patients report reduced effectiveness on the job annually
Cluster Headaches
Similar to the menstrual migraines due to the female hormone estrogen, the cluster headaches are believed to be connected with the male hormone testosterone. Therefore, cluster headaches usually only affects men.
Just as the name suggest, cluster headaches come in clusters. Typically, they last 15 minutes to an hour, occur 4-8 times per day for days or weeks and may not re-occur for months or even years. The pain associated with cluster headaches is focused behind one eye, accompanied with tearing, flushing, sweating and nasal congestion.
Cluster Headaches Facts
Less common that tension headaches
85% of which affect men
Brief but painful "bunches"
Strikes over a period of weeks
Centered around one eye
Accompanied with nasal congestion
Chronic Daily Headaches
The majority of these chronic daily headaches are a result of gradual transformation from episodic headaches of any type such as: migraine. cervicogenic, or tension into chronic headaches. 35-40% of patients who seek treatment for their headaches suffer from daily headaches.
Criteria for Chronic Daily Headaches
Minimum of 15 headaches days per month
180 headache days per year
Migraines
Migraine headaches have been on the rise reporting a 60% increase in the past 10 years. It's believed one of the major reasons for the increase in migraines can be traced back to dietary issues, artificial chemicals such as aspartame and very high levels of
Over 80% of migraines are believed to be diet related. The American diet is loaded with inflammatory foods. Our typical hunter-gatherer ancestor had a diet with a 1:1 omega-3:omega-6 fatty acid ratio. The typical American diet ranges from a 1:22-1:40 omega-3:omega-6. Omega 6's are very inflammatory and omega 3's are anti-inflammatory. This dramatic imbalance in omega 3:6 FA's in most Americans diets creates an imbalance in the body.
For more information on getting help with your headaches be sure to check Dr. Chris Gubbles' blog. Local Fort Collins Chiropractors at Square ONE are specially trained at diagnosing and treating all types of headaches.