Headaches and Migraines

Are you one of the 6 million Australians that unfortunately suffer from headaches and migraines?

Headaches are painful. Migraines can be debilitating.

You may be able to tolerate a few headaches here and there but when your headaches and migraines become more frequent or more painful, this is typically where chiropractic care may help.

Your headache or migraine can be due to a range of factors. Women can suffer headaches because of their hormones, while both men and women can suffer as a result of dehydration and lack of sleep. Persistent stress may also be a factor, along with poor posture and eye strain. In addition, head injuries can lead to chronic headaches. It is important to note that most pain is not in the brain itself, it often originates from the upper neck and tissue around the skull.

There are many different types of headaches. Identifying which type of headache you might be suffering from is often the starting point for treatment. The type of headache is based on the location of the pain and the duration of the headache.

Below is a list of the common headaches we see at Advanced Chiropractic.

Do you feel a throbbing, band-like ache that affects both sides of your head? A headache that feels like someone is clamping or squeezing your skull? This is often the description of a tension headache or “stress headache”.

Tension headaches are common. As many as 90% of adults have them and they are often more prevalent in women.

Tension headaches may be mild to moderate in pain and can last between 30 minutes and several days. Tension headaches often originate in the neck and generally develop in the middle or end of the day.

Tension headaches can develop from stress, staring at a computer screen and even after consuming certain foods. They are a common headache suffered by adults, which can feel like pressure on the front, top or sides of the head. It is usually a gradual onset of pain, which can spread to neck stiffness and muscle aches in the upper shoulders. While medication may provide temporary relief, chiropractic care takes a holistic approach, which may support your health and wellbeing goals.

Once a tension headache spans longer than 15 days, it is referred to as a chronic tension headache. This can occur daily and may be felt as a dull, aching pain that includes tightness or pressure across the forehead, sides, and the back of your head. In addition to this, other symptoms include tenderness in the scalp, neck, and shoulder.

Migraines are differentiated from a headache based on their intensity. Migraines cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation and are generally located on one side of the head. These tend to be misdiagnosed as either tension or sinus headaches.

Are you waking up with intense pain in or around one eye or one side of your head? These symptoms are often linked to cluster headache. Cluster headaches tend to be short lasting 15 minutes to 3 hours with a throbbing, burning pain and will reoccur for weeks or months.

Cluster headaches are difficult to diagnose because symptoms can come on rapidly without warning but usually do not last long.

Cluster headaches may be reduced by lowering the risk of future attacks through chiropractic care.

Cervicogenic headaches are often referred to as a secondary headache. This means the discomfort you are experiencing may be from another condition. Often, this can develop from neck pain.

A cervicogenic headache develops in the neck and the back of the head before it radiates towards the front. These are generally caused by neck injuries, high blood pressure or infections.