What is Causing My Constant Headache?
If you’ve found this page, there’s a good chance that you’re one of the millions of people who suffer from headache. A severe headache is the #1 reason for missing work. According to the American Chiropractic Association, approximately 90% of Americans suffer from a headache periodically. Of these, approximately 95% are caused by tension, migraines, or cluster headaches, while 5% are warning signals caused by more serious physical problems.
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches feel like a tight band or a constant dull ache around the head or just behind the eyes. Some common causes are spinal misalignment in the neck, stress or bad posture which causes the spine and upper back or neck muscles to retain tension. People who work at a computer or phone all day under severe deadlines often suffer from tension headaches as do people with a history of neck injury.
Migraine Headaches
Annually, approximately 25 million Americans suffer from debilitating, intense and throbbing migraine headaches; about 75% of them are women. Some migraines are so intense they can cause nausea, sensitivity to light or noise, or all of these symptoms, for a few hours to a few days.
Migraines are typically caused by a constriction of the brain’s blood vessels, followed by a dilation — causing a decrease in blood flow. Some people have specific migraine triggers: certain foods, insomnia, exercise, or blood sugar or hormonal changes.
Treatment for Tension and Migraine Headaches
Tension and migraine headaches are seen on opposite ends of a continuum — the former related more to muscles and the latter related more to blood flow. Because muscles and blood flow are both controlled primarily by the nervous system, both types of headaches are treated in similar ways using chiropractic adjusting and cranial therapies.
Chiropractic Adjusting for Headaches
Both migraines and tension headaches are affected by stiff neck joints that irritate nerves and cause tight muscles at the base of the skull. This environment of tension can cause headache pain behind the eyes, in the back or top of the head, or around the whole head like a tight band. Loosening up stiff joints with chiropractic adjusting interrupts this tension-producing cycle.
Cranial Therapies for Headaches
Your skull has a huge impact on the health of your brain. The cranial therapy that is a major part of Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT) and Upledger CranioSacral Therapy both are related to traditional Osteopathic craniopathy. SOT craniopathy and Osteopathic craniopathy tend to be more condition specific whereas CranioSacral Therapy is not. All cranial therapies aim to improve the very subtle movement of skull bones, enhancing the flow of fluid around the brain which critical to a healthy nervous system.
In addition to relieving physical stress on the brain, cranial therapy can provide a deep sense of relaxation and lower stress, a major cause of headaches. In fact, one 10-minute session can typically result in a dreamlike state-of-mind that makes you feel calm and refreshed.
TMJ Treatment
Trouble with the jaw can be a factor in both migraines and tension headaches. If your jaw hurts, you are a clencher or grinder, or your jaw pops or swings to the side as you open your mouth, TMJ treatment should be part of your chiropractic care for migraines and headaches. TMD (TMJ Dysfunction) may also cause jaw or ear pain, tinnitus or vertigo, but is often a missed part of the headache diagnosis equation.
For patients with TMJ or jaw clicking, the jaw itself, the surrounding bones and muscles, plus the overall structure of the body — especially the sacrum and hips — are all examined.
