There is nothing worse than having a painful headache ruin your day. Headaches can have a negative impact on your mood and make it impossible to work or socialise with friends. If your headaches are severe, it may even interfere with your ability to sleep or make you feel nauseous.
Fortunately, there are effective treatments available for most types of headaches, including chiropractic care. At our chiropractic clinic in Stoke on Trent, we offer chiropractic treatment that can often be effective in dealing with due to poor function of the joints and muscles in the neck. These types of headaches are called cervicogenic headaches.
In this post, our Stoke Chiropractor is going to identify the most common types of headaches people suffer from. The post also covers how our chiropractors at City Chiropractic Clinic may help you deal with cervicogenic headaches.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Headaches?
Tension Headaches
Many patients who visit our chiropractors in Stoke on Trent report suffering from tension type headaches. This is probably not that surprising as they are the most common types of headaches suffered. Many people report the headache as like having a tight band stretched around their head with a constant ache affecting both sides of the head.
In the main a tension headache does not prevent the sufferer from going about their daily life. These types of headaches last on average 30 minutes to several hours. However, some tension headaches may last several days.
It is not clear what the exact causes of this type of headache are. Causes may include stress, poor posture, skipping meals and dehydration.
With these causes in mind, lifestyle changes may be the most effective long term solution to this type of headaches. Reducing stress, getting more sleep and staying hydrated may contribute to an effective solution. Often tension headaches can be treated by taking ordinary painkillers. However, if a headache is getting persistently worse then you should seek advice from your GP.
Migraine Headaches
Migraine headaches are the second most common type of headache. They are very painful headaches which often cause a throbbing sensation, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, and nausea. At their worst, migraine headaches can be debilitating, forcing a person to retreat into isolation to recover.
It can be difficult to treat migraine headaches, as their cause is not always easy to identify. However, there are several medications that can either reduce the pain associated with migraines or prevent migraines from occurring as frequently.
Hormone Headaches
Hormone headaches are related to rapidly fluctuating hormones levels. They most often affect women who are pregnant, menstruating, taking birth control pills, or using hormone replacement therapy.
These types of headaches can be treated with medications and complementary therapies like meditation or yoga may help.
Cluster headaches
Cluster headaches refer to a series of headaches which occur in a row. Each headache causes a piercing pain which is sometimes accompanied by a burning sensation. Other symptoms include facial redness, nausea, and sweating. Cluster headaches can last anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 hours in duration. The cause of cluster headaches is unknown, but there are several medications available.
Sinus Headaches
Sinus headaches are very similar to migraine headaches and are often misdiagnosed as migraines. They are often triggered by allergies or medical conditions affecting the sinuses. Most treatments focus on removing mucus in the sinus cavity.
Hypertension Headaches
Hypertension headaches are caused by high blood pressure. These headaches tend to cause a pulsing sensation on both sides of the head, where major arteries are located. Other symptoms of hypertension headaches include shortness of breath, chest pain, and numbness. If you suffer from hypertension headaches, talk to your doctor as soon as possible as it is a sign that your blood pressure may be dangerously high.
Cervicogenic Headaches
A cervicogenic headache comes from a problem with the neck. Typically sufferers experience pain stemming from the top of the neck, spreading from the back of the head to the forehead and may even spread to around the eye area. The pain tends to occur on one side of the head but can occur on both sides.
In a study from ‘Spine journal’ 2010 researchers tested the effectiveness of chiropractic adjustment (manipulation) for cervicogenic headaches (headaches originating from the neck) compared to patients receiving light massage. The patients receiving Chiropractic care had significantly better outcomes. Chiropractic patients were more likely to have 50% reduction in headache frequency and at least 50% decrease in overall symptoms. (Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache ; a pilot randomised control trial. Spine Journal 2010).
How Visiting Our Stoke Chiropractic Clinic Can Help
There are many different types and causes of headaches. Therefore it is essential that you receive a diagnosis of the type of headache you are suffering in order to be able to treat the cause.
When you visit one of our experienced chiropractors, your chiropractor will take a thorough medical history and examination to ascertain the type and cause of your headache.
After making a diagnosis, our chiropractor uses techniques aimed to improve and maximise joint function. These techniques may include mobilisation, manipulation and Activator. You may also be given postural and lifestyle advice, together with exercises to rehabilitate your condition and to help address the underlying cause. Our treatment is often very effective at relieving the frequency and severity of our patient’s cervicogenic headaches. Our findings are supported by current research.
If you are suffering from headaches our chiropractor at City Chiropractic Clinic in Stoke on Trent may be able to help. To book an appointment with one of our team call our chiropractic clinic on 01782 848 184 or you can book online on our website here.