Chiropractic treatments for headaches

These excruciating types of headaches usually occur on one side of the head only, and can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours. Cluster headaches can often recur regularly, sometimes even multiple times per day, over a certain period of time. They then may be followed by a headache-free period of months or even years. One or both eyes may also experience redness and watering, and these types of headaches are generally more common in men than in women.

The pesky and extremely painful migraine is a severe type of headache, which occurs three times as often in women than in men. Medical experts aren’t completely clear on the cause of migraines, but have found that genes can play a role. Studies have also shown that brain cell activity can affect blood vessel and nerve cell function which can lead to the migraine, and other triggers can include sudden changes in hormones, caused by stress, or altered eating and sleeping patterns.

Often misdiagnosed, true sinus headaches are caused by an infection in the sinuses, and are accompanied by nasal discharge that is green or tinged with red. Sinus infections often clear with time, but antibiotics may also be necessary. Often, people think they have a sinus headache when they really have a migraine. One study even found that 88% of people with a history of sinus headaches probably really had migraines. While symptoms like sinus pressure, nasal congestion, and watery eyes can happen in both migraines and sinus headaches, migraines often cause nausea and light sensitivity, while sinus headaches do not.

Thinking of popping a painkiller to ease the pain of your headache? Think again – it could be causing your headache in the first place. Rebound headaches are chronic headaches that are actually caused by medication overuse, in a similar way to how overusing nasal decongestants can lead to a constantly blocked nose. What kinds of medicines put you at risk? Regularly taking any pain reliever like acetaminophen (Panadol), aspirin, or ibuprofen (Nurofen) more than two times per week, or taking triptans (migraine drugs) for more than 10 days a month for just a few months can put you at risk of developing rebound headaches.