Headaches are a common injury due to different factors.  Whether a family history, prolonged and increased stress associated with one’s job or personal life, or not taking proper care of yourself (related to nutrition, sleeping habits, and fluid consumption), the 2 most common headaches are of the tension and migraine varieties.  Although there are other headaches (trigeminal (affecting the face/eye), hypertension (due to high blood pressure), it is important to understand the distinction of these 2 commonly found headaches.

Tension headaches are mainly muscular in nature, often described from patients as a squeezing, pressure, tense feeling that starts at the back of one’s head and travels over either the top of the head or the side of the head to the forehead and temples respectively.  These most commonly occur in the afternoon, and although stress is a common cause, poor posture, being in 1 position with your head/neck for long periods (sitting/standing), or poor mechanics when to comes it exercising or another activity, are causative factors.  They do build with intensity as they set in, but can be improved with chiropractic manipulation, Active Release Techniques (stretching the muscles contributing to your tension headaches), applying heat, and postural changes through rehab exercises. Lastly, taking a magnesium supplement can sometimes help with tension headaches due to properties acting as the body’s natural muscle relaxant (to offset how tense your muscles can be from too much Calcium in your bloodstream due to stress/tension).

Migraines present differently, (blood-based in nature), as they are caused from the result of narrowing blood vessels in your head/upper neck.  The following symptoms are associated with a migraine: sharp, stabbing, pulsating, tightness, and throbbing with pain shooting to one’s forehead or behind one’s eyes (1 or both).  Migraines can present with an aura causing sensitivity to lights, sounds, and/or odors resulting in nausea and possible vomiting (depending on the severity), but also, they can occur without an aura (better known as a common migraine-still have the same symptoms as a classic just described above).  Migraines are improved with chiropractic manipulation, caffeine, and if severe enough, prescription medicine may be needed to control them (despite chiropractic care helping) by visiting your primary care doctor and/or neurologist.  Family history can contribute too alongside understanding the cause (menstrual cycle (for women), weather changes, food/beverage consumption, to name a few).

Learning the cause, knowing the type of headache, and the length of time one dealt with this particular headache is critical to achieving success with migraine or tension headaches. Having this conversation with your chiropractor about minimizing one’s headaches long-term will be necessary toward managing your symptom.  In some cases, one’s headaches may never go away, but can control how intense they are or how frequent they occur with consistent chiropractic treatment and following of treatment recommendations.  Don’t let a headache get in the way of enjoying your summer!

Brian Marion DC, CCSP, ART CKTP, SFMA

Lincoln Park Chiropractic 2202 N. Lincoln Ae Suite 1 Chicago, IL 60615

(773)248-2790 https://lincolnparkchiropractic.com