Headache Pain
Chronic headaches are a distressing fact of life for millions of people. The need to continually cope with pain often diminishes the quality of a person's life at work and home. With its ability to relieve muscle tension, promote healing of injuries, and reduce stress, our therapy's can be a powerful ally in your battle against chronic headaches.
What type of headache do you have?
Tension headaches
Many headaches are due to basic muscle tension. Tension headaches vary in pain level and are sometimes accompanied by band-like pressure around the head. They originate in the neck, head and shoulders from tight. contracted muscles and/or trigger points (irritable spots that refer pain elsewhere). Postural problems, mental and physical stress, and disturbed sleep patterns can all contribute to tension headaches.
Migraine headaches
Migraine headAches are characterized by intense, one-sided pain, which may extend to the face, jaw and neck. They can last from several hours to several days and involve nausea, dizziness, extreme fatigue and sensitivity to light or sound. Factors that can contribute to their onset include stress, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, food allergies, missing a meal, certain medications, bright lights and loud noises.
Headaches due to neck injury
Muscle and ligament injuries in the neck often cause headaches. These injuries can be caused by a sudden trauma such as whiplash, or have a gradual onset from repetitious activities such as working at a computer for hours every day. Muscle tension and scar tissue in injured areas can limit movement, restrict blood flow and cause trigger points, resulting in head and neck pain.
Other types of headaches
Cluster headaches occur in a series, then disappear for months at a time. Rebound headaches are caused by accumulated toxins from frequent use of prescription or over-the-counter pain medications. Post-traumatic headaches are a result of head injury, may occur immediately or well after the injury, and often go hand-in-hand with headaches due to neck injury. Among the long list of other headache causes are sinusitis, allergies, TMJD (temporomandibular joint dysfunction), high blood pressure, tumors and strokes.
It is important to receive medical attention for these, or any chronic or severe headache. Also, because there is a chance that a sudden severe headache could indicate an emergency, if you experience head pain unlike anything you've experienced before, seek medical help immediately.