Headaches

Written by Dr. Alison Gault B. App. Sci. (clinical sci) B. Osteo. Sci.  from Vale Osteopathy Clinic located in Ascot Vale and Pascoe Vale, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Headaches are one of the most common issues seen in the clinic.   Headaches range from dull aches to the debilitating migraines requiring hospitalisation.

Headaches affect 2/3 of men and 80% of women with 1/20 adults who experience a headache every or nearly every day.   Headaches may not be a serious disease but they greatly affect our everyday life, work and play.

What can cause headaches?

There are many different types and causes of headaches:

• Eye strain
• Toxic
• Hormonal/ menstrual related
• Alcohol induced
• Post traumatic ie- after a  bump to the head
• Migraine
• Sinus headache
• Jaw/ TMJ
• whiplash
• dehydration
• very very rarely due to serious disease such as brain tumour which is a common misconception.

But the most common is the cervicogenic (from the neck) or tension headaches.

Tension headache

This is due to a build up of muscle tension at the base of the skull otherwise known as the suboccipital area.  Patients experience pain both at the base of the skull and as a headache in the forehead, eyes and temple areas.  The reason why this occurs is due tight muscles, inflammation and joint restrictions in the area irritating nerves and blood vessels resulting in local and the referred pain of a headache.

Migraine

Patients can experience both headaches and migraines as there is a definite difference between the two. A migraine happens due to inflammation of the nerves and blood vessels in the head causing symptoms such as nausea, blurry or distorted vision, numbness and a severe headache.  The triggering mechanism is still not understood properly by science.   Migraines may be triggered by such things as tiredness, red wine, chocolate or tomato based foods but for some people it is totally random.

So what can you do about it??

Try and find out the reason why headaches are happening in the first place.

• Do you need your eyes checked in for glasses or a change in your script?
• Are you drinking enough water which is about 2 litres a day?
• Were you drinking alcohol the night before?
• Are your sinuses are infected?
• Are you clenching or grinding your teeth.  You will most likely be waking up with a headache in the morning?
• What is you pillow and bed like?  are you sleeping on your stomach?

Osteopathic treatment for headaches and migraines

The most common cause will be the neck and this is where an osteopath can assist you.

Treatment for headaches involves improving joint mobility and reducing muscle tension resulting in improved blood supply and drainage from the head and reduced nerve irritation.  The second part of the treatment is providing you with stretches and strengthening exercises to assist in reducing the headaches occurring again.  Another important factor is improving ergonomics such as the position you sleep, sit and work.

Most people that have headaches experience them chronically so treatment is most commonly not just a one off, it involves improving the symptoms quickly and then moving to more maintenance treatment to keep them gone.  The frequency of maintenance treatment varies for each individual patient.  Every body is different, some people require treatment once a month and others every 3 months.

Disclaimer: information provided on this post is of a general nature and should not be used in place of advice from either myself or another medical  professional.

Tags: headache, headpain, migraine, osteo, osteopathic, tension, treatment