Many of the people suffering from headaches tend to seek chiropractic for headaches as a last resort, after other treatments seem to have failed.
Headaches are a fairly common ailment with over 10% of the population suffers from headaches. Women, however, are three times more likely than men to experience them, while children and adolescents can experience them as well.
Headaches can have a variety of causes, ranging from subluxation to brain tumors.
Many headache sufferers are finding that chiropractic for headaches is proving to be a very effective alternative treatment for most types of headaches.
Types of Headaches
The more common types of headaches include the following:
Tension Headaches
This is the most common type of headache, usually caused by muscle tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders, or around the face, or TMJ disorder (caused through tension of the temporomandibular joint).
In tension headaches the pain is often felt around the eyes or temples. When caused by muscle tension in the neck or back muscles, the pain will be felt towards the back of the head.
Tension headaches are often accompanied by the eyes watering, and/or a runny nose.
Migraine Headaches
Migraine headaches are often characterized by an acute, throbbing pain on one side of the head, usually localized near a temple. Other symptoms, that may also occur include nausea and vomiting and hyper-sensitivity to noise or light.
Migraine attacks can sometimes be triggered by simple daily activities, such as climbing stairs, intensive physical exertion, extreme cold or heat, continuous noises, or lights flickering. Stress may also cause a migraine headache. Migraines may also frequently be triggered when there is a combination of these events. Chiropractic care for headaches often involves chiropractors helping their patients make lifestyle changes.
Cluster Headaches
These headaches occur for short periods per day,and sometimes last days on end for weeks.
Cluster headaches are not a singular type of pain, but more of a pattern. They usually occur for short periods (a half-hour to an hour), but may then re-occur the next day. The symptoms are similar to tension headaches, but feels more like migraine.
Eyestrain Headaches
In many cases, caused by simple eyestrain through working too long at the computer.
Sinus Headaches
These are caused by inflammation of the sinuses as a result of a head cold or allergy.
Medication Overuse Headache (MOH)
These are caused by the overuse of prescription medicines.
Secondary Headaches
They are caused by some underlying illness that a patient may be suffering from, such as brain cancer or encephalitis, for example.
Research has shown that chiropractic for headaches is an effective treatment for a variety of headaches such as migraine, tension, and cluster headaches.
If you suffer from headaches and would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. John Collins regarding your health, please call us at 403-243-0111.
