Chiropractic and Headaches

Headache is defined as pain in the head or upper neck and has many causes. The International Headaches Society in 2007 placed headaches in three major categories

1. Primary
2. Secondary
3. Cranial neuralgias, facial pains and other headaches.
 
Primary headaches include migraine, tension and cluster headaches as well as a variety of less common types of headaches. Tension headaches are by far the most common type of headaches. 90% of the population experience these at some time or another. Women are more prone to these than men.

A tension headache is often felt as a pain in the head or upper neck with either a constant dull pain or a more severe throbbing pain. At the same time, tension and pain is felt in the upper back muscles and neck muscles, as well as a tightness of the actual muscles of the skull.

Migraines are the next most common types of headaches. They are often a mystery as they can occur at any time and are seemingly unrelated to tension. A migraine sufferer will describe visual disturbances such as a flickering of their vision at the sides or an aura which they know is a  prelude to a migraine attack.

Following the flickering of their eyesight can come blurred vision and an increased sensitivity to bright light. They can also experience nausea and vomiting. These patients can often only find help by lying down in a quiet darkened room until the migraine subsides.They often feel "washed out" for 24 hours following such an attack. 

Cranial neurology is a classification which includes causes emanating from the brain. These are extremely serious and life threatening and may include such things as meningitis , encephalitis and brain tumours. Headaches which are not easily relieved by simple analgesics such as paracetamol or aspirin should be investigated by a medical practitioner. Such headaches might be accompanied by loss of vision, loss of smell or other neurological deficits.

Such symptoms must not be ignored at any cost. Facial pain is another category of headache. It can present as a burning or aching pain and can often have many
causes includinng dental problems such as infected teeth, and dental abcesses of the jaw.
Infected sinuses can refer pain to the face as the nerves that are present in the sinus regions have branches in the face. Neck and jaw muscles can refer pain to the face when these muscles have become tense and overly contracted or in spasm - the common TMJ syndrome associated with grinding, clenching and wearing down teeth is known to many people.

Chiropractic treatment is one of the most successful methods of treating tension and migraine headaches. As a chiropractor of twenty five years experience, I have seen literally thousands of patients who have had headaches for many years. These people have typically been prescribed or have purchased over the counter pain killers which have relieved their symptoms to a degree but have done absolutely nothing to prevent another headache occurring the
day later.

At one time, Australia had the highest percentage in the world of people with kidney failure, directly due to their having constantly taken these pain killers. Some people would take them on waking, even when they did not have a headache. Perhaps they thought that they would stop one from coming on!

Chiropractic treatment involves a range of examinations and medical tests to evaluate the causes of the headache. This is important to make sure that the patient is not suffering from
one of the more dangerous types of headache that I have already mentioned. By removing or reducing the causes of tension to the nerves of the neck and upper back muscles, the headaches may gradually ease and in time, disappear completely. The patient is then able to get on with their lives and enjoy participating in their communities and families.

A small mention should be about headaches in children. This is a subject unto itself. It is a fact that many illnesses may cause head pain in children and every report of headache must be viewed with suspicion and checked out. It is also worth remembering that children are as prone to hurting their neck and shoulders in play as adults may at work.

Chiropractors frequently help children with headache where their necks have become strained or subluxated, due to a range of factors such as poor posture, heavy schoolbags, using laptops etc. Be aware of how many hours your child sits and balance in their lives to keep them exercising and active. Investigate headaches by looking at how they spend their time and their posture, noy only by suspecting illness and disease.