What Are The Different Types of headaches?
At our office, we emphasize not just temporarily masking the symptoms of your headache, but getting to the root cause of what is causing them. In order to do so, we need to find the root cause of what causes someone to experience a headache. Firstly, we need to understand that headaches can be categorized as primary or secondary.
Primary headaches involve disturbance to pain-sensitive structures of the head, such as muscles, blood vessels and nerves, and will appear to have no other underlying cause. Primary headaches include:
- Migraines
- Tension headaches
- Cluster headaches
Secondary headaches occur due to the presence of another known condition. There can be various root causes for secondary headaches, which will be discussed below.
Primary Headaches
1. Migraines
Migraines are considered the seventh leading cause of disability worldwide. Migraines typically present as a unilateral (one-sided), pulsating headache that lasts between 4-72 hours and is aggravated by physical activity. Sometimes people will experience an “aura” before the migraine attack. An “aura” involves visual or sensory symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, photophobia (sensitivity to light) or phonophobia (sensitivity to sound).
2. Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are more common than migraines, and sufferers experience pain and/or pressure along both sides of the head. These symptoms may last from 30 minutes to days and are not made worse with physical activity. Tension headaches result from bad posture and stress.
3. Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are severe headaches that occur on one side of the head behind the eye that last from 15 minutes to 3 hours. The pain is sharp, piercing or burning and may be accompanied by tearing or redness of the eyes. It is thought to be a result of blood vessel dilation.
Secondary Headaches
1. Cervicogenic Headaches
Cervicogenic headaches are headaches brought on due to underlying issues with the cervical spine (neck). This an be due to poor posture, nerve irritation, osteoarthritis, disc issues, or whiplash injuries.
2. Spinal Headaches
Spinal headaches involve leakage of cerebrospinal fluid through the spinal cord. This can be caused by an epidural or spinal tap.
3. Sinus Headaches
Sinus headaches can present alongside or feel similar to an infection of the sinuses. Sinus inflammation or changes in sinus pressure can trigger these headaches.
4. Medication-Overuse Headaches
Medication-overuse headaches are also known as “rebound headaches”. These headaches occur after changes in medication dosage or completely stopping certain medications. This usually occurs with anti-inflammatories and painkillers.
5. Brain Tumor/Aneurysm Headaches
These headaches are caused by tumors or bleeding in the brain.
6. Dehydration Headaches
Occurs with loss of bodily fluid. When the body lacks the appropriate levels of fluid, the brain can temporarily contract due to fluid loss. This causes the brain to pull away from the skull, resulting in pain.
7. Post-Traumatic Headaches
These headaches occur after trauma, such as blows to the head.
Natural Solutions to Headaches
As an upper cervical chiropractor and NUCCA practitioner, I will assess your condition to ensure that any cervicogenic (generated by the neck) headaches are properly addressed. Headaches that originate from the neck will involve neck pain and difficulty with neck movement. Countless times we have patients come in, diagnosed with another form of headache, only for us to find that the neck has been overlooked.
By using advanced imaging, we are able to assess the alignment of the upper neck and provide precise adjustments to correct misalignments. Aside from restoring natural alignment to the neck, there are other natural, drug-free remedies and lifestyle changes that can help prevent headaches from occurring again.
If you are looking for preventive options, natural remedies and supplements such as riboflavin, magnesium and curcumin (turmeric) have been shown to be helpful in preventing migraine. Aerobic exercise and a healthy diet play a role in headache prevention as well. Avoid common food triggers for headache, which includes wheat, dairy, and refined/processed foods and sugar. Finally, proper sleep habits can also help to lower stress and calm an overactive nervous system.
Red Flags for Headaches
Practitioners and headache sufferers need to be able to pick up on red flags that warrant an emergency room visit. Red flag symptoms include systemic issues like fever and night sweats, weakness in one arm or leg, numbness, visual disturbances, slurred speech and nausea.
The onset of headache following head trauma also warrants immediate medical attention.
References:
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