What Kind of Headache?

You feel a pounding headache coming on, but what kind of headache is it? Are you aware that there are many different types, each with a unique set of causes and symptoms? The most common types of headaches include:

Tension-type Headaches

There are two types, episodic and chronic. Someone with chronic headaches often wakes up and goes to sleep with a headache and feels a constant tightness or ache in the head and neck areas.

Migraine Headaches

A vascular-type headache, migraines are debilitating and often are accompanied by nausea/vomiting and acute sensitivity to sound and light. Women suffer more from migraines than men, possibly due to frequent hormonal changes.

Cluster Headaches

Occurring more often in men, cluster headaches may actually be the most severe of all headaches. They usually only last 30-60 minutes, however, they may recur several times throughout the day. Chronic smoking and alcohol use often contribute to the onset of cluster headaches.

Hormone Headaches

More frequent among women, hormone headaches usually occur in conjunction with PMS and menstruation. Women who take birth control pills may also experience hormone headaches with greater frequency. Symptoms are similar to those associated with a migraine – a one-sided, throbbing headache that includes light/noise sensitivity.

Rebound Headaches

Caused by the over use/abuse of over-the-counter and prescribed headache remedies that often contain caffeine. Headache sufferers tend to use the medications in higher dosages or more frequently than prescribed, causing a headache “rebound effect.”

Do you know someone who complains frequently of headaches? Based on the success our practice enjoys with all types of headaches, improperly moving bones of the upper neck are common culprits. Click here to take this simple at home test and see if reduced range of motion in the neck could be involved. And then direct them to our practice!

Common Headache Triggers

Whether you’re a frequent sufferer or not, do you know what might trigger your headaches? If you’re a migraine sufferer you might have some idea, but most people really don’t know at all. They just reach for the medicine cabinet whenever one strikes instead of trying to avoid it in the first place!
Common headache triggers include:

• Stress – Hectic lives and daily work and family pressures often result in tension and migraine headaches. Try to take a break once a day just for you – to relax and unwind, stress-free!

• Sleep – Either too much or too little can trigger headaches in some people. Try to keep a regular schedule of going to bed and getting up at the same time every day – even on your days off!

• Diet – Most migraine sufferers know that certain foods, such as red wine, chocolate, MSG, aged cheese, caffeine and processed foods can bring on a headache. Keep in mind that not eating can also cause headaches – especially in women!

• Smells – Strong odors, such as nail polish, smoke, paint, perfume, and cleaning products, can cause headaches in certain people. If you can identify the odors that trigger your headaches you may be able to avoid some of those offenders.

• Eye strain – If you stare at a computer monitor all day or you squint constantly because you need glasses, you might experience frequent headaches. Take a break from staring at the computer screen every 20 minutes or so and be sure to have your eyes checked!

• Poor posture – If you walk around with hunched shoulders or hold a phone between your shoulder and chin or sit in a chair all day without proper back support – you might get frequent tension headaches.

Try keeping a headache diary that answers these types of questions:

• “What did I eat or drink right before getting the headache?”

• “Did I sleep too little/too much last night?”

• “Am I under a lot of stress in my job?”

• “Am I staring at a computer monitor for too long without taking a break?”

Chiropractic care has shown impressive results in helping patients who have frequent headaches. Please let us know if you’re having this problem so that we can offer you the help you might need!

Stress and Back Pain

We live in very stressful times. A world-wide economic crisis, declining home values, job losses, financial insecurities, an uncertain future… these and other “real life” events cause a lot of people a lot of stress. And that stress is responsible for all types of health problems, including high blood pressure, strokes, insomnia and an increase in the number of people experiencing back pain.

Chronic stress (emotional, physical and chemical) can affect your nervous system’s ability to function correctly, leading to an increased risk for illness and pain. And… when you’re under stress, your muscles get tense and tighten, especially the muscles in your neck and back.

So what can you do about stress-related back pain?

• Learn how to relax muscles through stretching, take “stretch” breaks at work, walk around your building during break or lunch

• Exercise to release stress and endorphins, those “feel good” brain chemicals – brisk walking, cycling, swimming – anything that increases your heart rate and gets you moving is beneficial

• Eat healthy meals – avoid empty calories, sugary snacks and comfort foods that pack on the weight and offer little in terms of nutrition

• Write down your thoughts or talk to a professional counselor – getting the stress out, on paper or in person, helps to relieve stress

• Treat yourself to a massage to ease tense muscles

• Learn to say “no” to anything that will further complicate your life, causing additional stress

• Get plenty of rest – it’s hard to deal with the stress that causes chronic back pain when you’re not well rested



And by all means, make sure you’re staying up to date with your chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic care helps to “reset” the nervous system so you are better able to fight the negative effects of stress. We certainly see an increase in stress-related back pain as a result of these uncertain times. We want to help you to weather these times, feeling healthy and pain free, so you can deal with whatever comes your way.