We are often asked, “..what do chiropractors do for headaches?” To answer this question, let’s look at what a patient might expect when they present with headache complaints.

The last three “Health Updates” reviewed the differences between tension-type headaches, migraine headaches and dangerous types of headaches. Keeping in mind those differences, the history and examination will focus on differentiating between these three types of headaches.

This month’s topic will address dangerous headaches. To keep this in perspective, most headaches are NOT dangerous. In fact, tension-type headaches and migraines are very common and remain the focus of most health care providers and patients who suffer from headaches. With that said, it’s important to discuss the signs and symptoms that might help all of us differentiate between headaches that are safe versus those which are not safe.

At some point, everyone will have a headache, whether it’s from stress, lack of sleep, hormonal related or even self-induced after having way too much fun the night before! In fact, 9 out of 10 Americans suffer from headaches. For the most part, headaches are not indicative of a dangerous underlying condition, but they can be (…a topic for a future “Health Update”). The focus of this Health Update is to discuss the most common form of headache – the tension-type headache or, TTHA.

Headaches are a common complaint at chiropractic clinics. There are many causes of headaches, some of which are “idiopathic” or, unknown. Some headaches arise from “vascular” (blood vessels) causes such as migraine and cluster headaches. These often include nausea and/or vomiting and can be quite disabling and require rest in a dark, quiet place sometimes for a half or a whole day. Another type of headaches can be categorized as “tension” headaches. These usually result from tightness in the muscles in the neck and upper back caused from stress, work, lack of sleep, sinusitis, trauma such as whiplash, and others.

Few conditions leave their victims as miserable and agitated as headaches. There are many causes of headaches including stress, odors, bright lights, noise, fatigue, certain foods, hormonal shifts, allergies, as well as genetic predisposition. With all the possible causes of headaches, it’s not surprising many people seek help from many different approaches such as conventional medical therapies like pharmaceuticals and injections. Others prefer a non-drug treatment approach such as chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, and nutritional counseling.

“I woke up this morning with an excruciating headache. I thought the top of my head was going to blow off!”

“I notice as the day goes on, tightness in my neck worsens and I get a headache usually by 2-3pm.”

“I don’t know if I can do my work with my headaches.”

These are common patient history entries we frequently receive at our clinic. Headaches are one of the most common complaints prompting patients to visit a health care provider. Many patients ask, “…what is a headache?” The National Institutes of Health (NIH) describe four types of headache: vascular, muscular contraction or tension, traction and inflammatory.

Headaches are a common complaint in patients presenting for professional care, including chiropractic management. Patients with headaches seek chiropractic care because they find manipulation or adjustments applied to the cervical spine and upper back region are highly effective in reducing the intensity, frequency and duration of the headache pain. This is because the cervical spine / neck, is often the origin of the headache as the three nerves in the upper neck (C1, 2 and 3) pass through the thick, overly taught neck muscles in route to the scalp / head. When the muscles of the neck are in spasm, the nerves get “pinched” or squeezed by the overly tight muscles resulting in headache pain. Each nerve runs to a different part of the head and therefore, pain may be described as “…radiating over the top of head (sometimes into the forehead and eyes),” or, into the head and over the ear, sometimes reaching the temple. Also, an area located in the back and side of the head is the area where the C1 nerve innervates, so pain may also be reported in that location. When more than one of the C1-3 nerves is pinched, the whole side to the top of the head may be involved.