Headaches are a very common complaint that Osteopaths at OsteopathyOne deal with on a daily basis.
Headaches characteristically change as your proceed through your lifespan, making it vital to keep on top of them and minimise the impact on day to day life.
Most people will experience a headache at some point, some may be mild where a simple paracetamol may stop the pain interfering with your life. Others, can be much more severe, returning on a regular basis, interfering with sleep and brain function.
There are many categories of headaches all of which have different symptoms and different effect on your life. The most common headache complaints are:
Tension Headache:
Approximately 7 million Australian are likely to experience Tension Headaches, being more common in females than males (42% and 36%, respectively).
The symptoms are:
- Tight band like pain around forehead
- Dull, persistent, diffused pain that varies in intensity
- Pain is commonly felt on both sides of head/neck area
- Tightness or heaviness of scalp
- Restricted active and passive neck movements
Common triggers for Tension Headaches are:
- Stress/anxiety/depression
- Poor posture for prolonged periods of time
- Bright blue lights
- General fatigue
- Dehydration
Migraine:
20% of Australians with suffer from the neurological disorder during the lifespan. Commonly begins in childhood or adolescence due to hormonal changes in the body. This means women are 3 times as likely to experience this headache due to the complexity and ever changing nature of their hormones.
Symptoms of a migraine may include:
- Aura commonly experienced before the headaches include:
- Visual disturbances such as zig-zagging lines, flickering lights, or spots
- Partial loss of vision
- Intense throbbing felt most commonly one side of the head
- Nausea
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Sensory disturbances such as pins and needles and numbness
Common triggers for Migraines:
- Stress and anxiety
- Hormonal changes
- Irregular eating patterns
- Dehydration
- Bright blue lights
- Irregular sleeping pattern
Cervicogenic headache (Neck Headache):
These are commonly known as neck headaches. They are caused by the joints and or muscles in your neck. The pain usually begins in your upper neck and refers over the back of your head.
Causes:
- Stress / anxiety
- Arthritis
- Poor sleeping posture (incorrect pillow)
- Poor day to day posture (computer worker)
- Dehydration
- Previous trauma (whiplash)
Serious headaches:
It is very important to understand the symptoms of a serious headache requiring immediate medical care.
- Sudden new headache you have never had before
- Ongoing headache that has not changed
- Severe head pain on exertion
- Neurological symptoms such as confusion, numbness, pins and needles, loss of function, drop attack, trouble speaking and swallowing or double vision.
If you experience these symptoms please seek medical care immediately.
Where to from here?
Lifestyle changes that may assist in you headache complaint:
- Regular sleeping pattern
- Regular eating schedules
- Increase water intake
- Regular exercise with stretching of the spine
- Work life balance to reduce stress, anxiety and depression
What may an OsteopathyOne practitioner do for my headaches?
- Manual therapy combining the use of soft tissue massage, dry needling and cupping, joint movement, stretching and manipulation from one of our Osteopaths
- Regular massages of the neck and upper back from one of our Remedial Massage therapists
- Dry needling or cupping in conjunction with massage from our Myotherapist
Author: Madison Pappa (Osteopathic Student) and Dr Dean Wright (Osteopath)
REFERENCE
https://headacheaustralia.org.au/headachetypes/tension-type-headache/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320767.php