If you are suffering from chronic headaches, osteopathic treatment may be able to help. When it comes to headaches, muscle tightness can sometimes be the culprit. Read on to find out more about the different types of headaches and how osteopathic treatment could help.
What is a headache?
A headache is any pain in the head region. The pain may feel sharp, dull or throbbing, isolated to one side of the head, behind the eyes or felt evenly around the head. Headaches are classified as either primary or secondary, and in total there are over 200 different types of headache. Read on to learn more about the most common types of headache.
Primary headaches: These headaches occur on their own (and are not influenced by another illness). These include:
- Tension headaches: are the most common type with mild to moderate pain. It may feel like a tight band across your head or a dull and aching pain. Tenderness in your scalp, neck and shoulders is also common.
- Migraines: These headaches cause severe throbbing and pulsing and are typically felt on one side of the head. Migraines are usually experienced with other physical symptoms. These include nausea, vomiting, body tingles and visual issues like sensitivity to light or blind spots.
- Cluster headaches: occur in episodic periods that range from one week to a year. They are extremely painful and typically present as striking pain behind one eye or on one side of your head. Migraine-like symptoms are common and eyes can become red, swollen and teary.
Secondary headaches are caused by another illness in the body. These vary greatly from sinusitis, concussions, to the flu or a brain freeze! A cervicogenic headache is caused by referred pain from the neck and is often accompanied by reduced range of motion in the neck, and pain in the shoulder and arm.
Causes
The causes of headache vary greatly! Secondary headaches have a direct link to another problem, but primary headaches commonly occur from:
- Stress
- Misalignment of the spine
- Poor posture
- Tense muscles
- Lifestyle factors
- Genetics
Can Osteopathy help?
Our osteopaths will assess, diagnose and treat headaches. We’ll also treat other areas that can influence head pain, including the neck, jaw, shoulders and back, if necessary. This helps us get to the root cause of the issue! We use a combination of soft tissue massage, joint manipulation and stretching, and also offer lifestyle advice on exercise and posture to prevent headache frequency. Our hands-on treatment takes a holistic approach to not only treat your headaches but improve your overall quality of life. Come and see us for osteo treatment at the Rainham clinic, because there’s nothing worse than a terrible headache!
Don’t put up with the pain! If you are experiencing frequent headaches, book your appointment today by clicking HERE!
