Headaches in Canberra
What Causes Them and What Can Be Done to Help?
You are not alone – headaches are very common. About 15% of the Australian population use medication to treat their headaches. They are a major source of disability and time off work for many Australians.
As chiropractors at Canberra Spine Centre, we help people with headaches every day to recover normal function and to feel great again.
What Type of Headache Do I Have?
Categorisation of headaches can be confusing. There are many types, but they can be categorized firstly into Primary and Secondary headaches.
Primary vs Secondary
- Primary headaches are caused by overactivity or problems with pain-sensitive structures in your head. The most common of these are tension-type headaches and migraine headaches.
- Secondary headaches are caused by a disease or condition that activates pain-sensitive nerves in the head. These can have less serious causes such as sinus headache or ear infection or more serious causes such as high blood pressure or tumour.
Chiropractors are trained to diagnose the type of headache properly you have so that you get the appropriate treatment.
The Most Common Types of Headaches
- Tension Headaches: The most common type of headaches, described as feeling like a band across the forehead, often originating from the back of the head and moving to the front.
- Cervicogenic Headaches: A common type that can often be confused with a migraine or tension headache. Pain usually starts in the neck and is referred from irritated nerves or soft tissues of the neck.
- Cluster Headaches: Occur in cyclical patterns or cluster periods, causing intense pain around one eye on one side of your head, often waking you in the middle of the night.
- Sinus Headaches: Caused by infection and inflammation of the sinus cavities, often felt around the eyes, cheeks, and forehead, described as ‘pressure’ or ‘throbbing’.
- Jaw-Related Headaches: Dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can refer pain up to your head, causing headache.
What’s Causing My Headaches?
While migraines are the most studied type of headache, the mechanism behind them – the actual cause – is still poorly understood. The same is the case for the less-studied headaches as well.
Can Neck Problems Cause My Headache?
When the joints between vertebrae in the neck lose their normal movement and function, this can scramble the messages that the joint and muscle receptors send to the brain, leading to headaches.
Can Chiropractic Help My Headaches?
Chiropractors are trained in diagnosing and managing headache disorders. In some cases, chiropractic treatment may help in resolving headache symptoms without the need for medication.
Book Your Visit
We’d love to help you get out of pain and back to living the life you love. Contact our team today to book your visit.
