Headaches
Almost every person on earth knows what having a headache feels like. In fact, more than 60% of people in North America have experienced at least one headache in the past twelve months and many of those people suffer from chronic headaches which can impose on a daily basis; may disrupt sleeping, eating, cognitive focus, socializing, etcetera. Headaches bloom for many reasons –exertion, coughing, caffeine withdrawal and low blood pressure are just a few. Our therapeutic solutions will assist you in determining the source as well as using natural solutions and techniques to alleviate pain and discomfort. Most headaches do not require immediate medical attention, however, if you have experienced head trauma and have symptoms such as fever, rash, double vision, difficulty speaking, numbness or worsening pain post medication, it is highly recommended that you seek prompt medical attention.
Four Types of Headaches
Although headache pain seems centralized within the skull and brain tissue, it actually stems from activated nerves surrounding the skull in the facial organs and muscles in the head and neck that send pain signals to the brain – causing a “headache”.The skull and brain tissue actually lack pain receptors, emphasizing the fact that knowing and understanding the different symptoms of your headache is key to proper diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, even the same type of headache is experienced differently by different people. This is why it is important to read through this content in order to articulate your specific situation.
Headaches are classified in two major groupings; primary and secondary. Primary headaches are those which stand alone and display actual clinical conditions such as tension or migraine. Secondary headaches are caused by other medical conditions such as inflammation, disease, infection, injury or tumor. Of those groupings, the different types can be sub categorized into four types of headaches.
Tension Headaches
These are the most common form of headache that can last for as little as a few minutes but can also linger for days. Most commonly affecting women, tension headaches are named as such due to the muscle contractions that can cause the sensation of a tight band around the head. Stress or poor posture causes the supporting muscles of the neck and scalp to contract creating tension and leading to tenderness of the shoulders, neck and scalp. The pain brought on by tension headaches can be described as a mild or moderate pressure on both sides of the head and unlike migraines, are not associated with nausea or light/sound sensitivity. Also note that the pain does not worsen with physical activity. Motor vehicle accidents are also a chief culprit of this type of headache.
Inflammatory Headaches
This type of headache is usually a sign of something greater. Inflammatory headaches indicate infections or irritations within,such as a sinus infection or even worse. Different inflammatory conditions exhibit different symptoms; a person with a sinus headache may experience soreness in the facial muscles and may feel more pressure when lying down whereas inflammatory headaches relating to the spine would pose neck pain.
Vascular Headaches
Migraine headaches are the most common type of vascular headache. Symptoms of migraine are painful and can usually impair a person with excruciating pain on one or both sides of the head accompanied with nausea and light/sound sensitivity. Cluster headaches also fall in this category as well but cause short ‘clusters’ of severe pain in one area of the head that can come and go in spurts of minutes, even hours, for up to several weeks. Cluster headaches are considered the most agonizing and unbearable and are most commonly experienced by men.
Traction Headaches
Traction headaches also show signs of other stresses. These headaches are brought on by disruption of the surrounding tissue (i.e. straining eye muscles to focus or read). Dental and oral conditions also present symptoms of traction headaches with pain surrounding the entire head. More severely though, traction headaches may also be a sign of existing tumor, hemorrhage, or swelling within the skull, instilling more of a strong pressure against the head.
Many of the headaches listed can be treated or prevented with healthy daily lifestyle habits. Excess caffeine intake, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and smoking are considered common triggers of numerous types of headaches. Some headaches are also prominent in cases of withdrawal, hangover and severe medication dependency. A regular regime of healthy eating, proper exercise and relaxation will benefit overall wellness and with the assistance of ourspecialized health care providers, you can look forward to a more comfortable, manageable and balanced lifestyle.
If you suffer from headaches it is important to record symptoms and tendencies in detail over an extended period of time. This makes it easier for our health professionals to recognize triggers and patterns as such information can be extremely helpful to a health care provider in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment aspects.
In addition to avoiding known triggers, Synergy Rehab & Physiotherapy Centre offers a multidisciplinary approach to managing the pain brought on by headaches.
Massage therapy – A registered massage therapist can also provide tension relief through soft tissue therapy merged with correction and relaxation tactics.Trigger point therapy and a series of cervical stretches are used to release muscle tension in specific regions of the musculoskeletal structure.
Chiropractic – Several scientific journals have validated the effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) for alleviation of chronic migraine and tension type headaches. *Also, our chiropractors use various gentle soft-tissue techniques and other therapies to alleviate headaches for those who do not wish to receive SMT and achieve great success.
Physiotherapy – Our physiotherapy use gentle manual therapy and soft tissue techniques, with the addition of electrotherapy and exercise programs to assist in alleviation of different types of headaches.
Acupuncture – Gentle application of needles to acupressure and meridian points are also extremely effective for relieving pain from any of the four types of headache.
If you suffer from headaches it is important to record symptoms and tendencies in detail over an extended period of time. This makes it easier for our health professionals to recognize triggers and patterns as such information can be extremely helpful to a health care provider in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment aspects.
Headache FAQs from Our Vaughan, ON Chiropractor
Headache pain can prevent you from enjoying your usual activities, especially if you have severe pain or chronic headaches. If you have not been able to find effective relief, chiropractic care can help. At Synergy Rehab & Physiotherapy, we provide chiropractic care for headache pain. Find out more about headaches and chiropractic care with the following frequently asked questions from our Vaughan ON chiropractor.
What Causes Headaches?
Headaches can occur for various reasons. When you have chronic headaches, the underlying cause might be stress, sinus problems, sleep issues or high blood pressure. There are also a number of medical conditions that are associated with headaches. Poor posture can also cause you to have headaches on a frequent basis, since this can throw the upper part of your spine out of alignment. Knowing the underlying cause of your headaches can help ensure that you receive effective care.
What Are the Signs of Headaches?
The symptoms that a headache produces can range from a dull ache throughout your entire head to sharp pain in one area. You might have pain on both sides of your head, or you might only have pain on one side. The pain that a headache causes can be a throbbing sensation that becomes worse at times or a constant ache. You might have sudden, sharper pains with some headaches.
How Can Chiropractic Care in Vaughan Help Headaches?
Headaches can occur when there is a problem with the alignment of your spine, especially in the upper part. Having misaligned spinal discs places pressure on your nerves, which can trigger headache pain. When you receive chiropractic care at Synergy Rehab & Physiotherapy, our Vaughan chiropractor adjusts your spine in order to correct these misalignments. Doing so alleviates pressure on your nerves, which eases pain and helps lower your risk of having headaches come back. These adjustments also make it possible for your spinal discs to heal if they have sustained any damage. Nutrients and oxygen are able to reach these areas easily.
How Can I Prevent Headaches?
Having chiropractic adjustments done reduces the chance that you will continue to deal with chronic headaches. You can also lower this risk by managing medical conditions that might be causing them, reducing stress and adopting a healthy lifestyle with a nutritious diet and exercise. Our chiropractor can let you know how often you might need to come back for another adjustment to prevent chronic headaches from returning.
Contact Our Chiropractor in Vaughan ON
If you have chronic headaches, please contact Synergy Rehab & Physiotherapy to make an appointment. Our chiropractor in Vaughan ON offers safe and reliable care to help relieve headache pain, so you can get back to your regular activities.