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Do you suffer from headaches?
Headaches are a common presentation to our clinic and are always an interesting case for us as osteopaths to solve. They always require a little brain power to ensure we are getting to the root cause of the problem.
Read on below to find out more about some common headache presentations and what your osteopath can do about your headaches.
Signs and Symptoms
- Dull, aching head pain.
- Sensation of tightness or pressure across your forehead, sides or back of your head.
- Tenderness on scalp, neck, shoulder muscles.
- It can last for hours and recur daily.
- More common in females than males.
Triggers
- Fatigue
- Stress
- Jaw clenching/grinding
- Holding the neck in an awkward position
Signs and Symptoms
One or two days before subtle changes may occur:
- Constipation
- Mood changes, from depression to euphoria
- Food cravings
- Neck stiffness
- Increased thirst and urination
- Frequent yawning
During
- Headache that typically lasts between 4-72 hours
- May cause severe throbbing pain or pulsating sensation
- One side of the head
- Nausea, vomiting, extreme sensitivity to light and sound
- May be accompanied without aura or with aura (visual disturbances such as flashes of light, blind spots)
After
- May leave you feeling drained, confused, and washed out for up to a day
Triggers
- Hormonal changes
- Stress
- Changes in weather
- Drinks – caffeine, alcohol
- Sleep changes
- Food
Signs and Symptoms
- May feel like a sinus infection
- Fever
- Pain near eyes, cheeks, forehead
- Congestion in the nose
- Throbbing head
- Worsening pain when bending forward or lie down
- Fatigue
Triggers
- Weather
- Allergies
- Food
- Odours
- Alcohol and caffeine
- Colds and congestion
Signs and Symptoms
- Chronic headache
- Arises from the base of the skull and upper cervical joints
- One sided pain often referring around like a ram’s horn
- Shoulder and arm pain
- Neck motion is reduced
- Tightness in the upper neck and shoulder muscles
- Can last 1 hour to weeks
Causes
- Structural problems in the upper neck such as restricted vertebrae
- Tight upper neck muscles
- Whiplash
- Repetitive neck strain
- Poor movement variability
Signs and Symptoms
- Intense pain in or around one eye on side of head
- Cluster periods that may last from weeks to months
- Pain waking you up at night
- Restlessness
- Watering eyes
- Congestion
- Redness of your eye on affected side
Triggers
- Alcohol
- Changes in weather
- Smoking
- Some medications
Management for headaches
No matter the diagnosis or the cause of your headache, our osteopaths can help you set up a management plan to get on top of them.
A management plan with one of our osteopaths will include a combination of:
- Hands on treatment
- Education about your type of headache
- Discovery of your specific triggers, this may include a headache diary if triggers are not immediately clear
- Modification of your triggers - eg diet, lifestyle, desk or car set up etc
- Strengthening and/or mobility program to allow you to relieve symptoms and prevent flare ups yourself, from home
- Referral to other healthcare professionals if required
Some acute headaches can be resolved quite quickly, while for other more chronic presentations the plan may be more around managing the headache and decreasing the intensity and frequency so that it has less of an impact on your life. The ideal is of course total resolution but, defending on the diagnosis and the triggers, unfortunately that is not always achievable. We pride ourselves on ensuring all clients are treated as an individual and are given the opportunity for a clear discussion around their diagnosis and expected outcomes of treatment.
If you are suffering from headaches and want to try an osteopathic and holistic approach to addressing it, then reach out to the clinic today or book an appointment online now.
