Headaches
Posted Friday, May 31, 2024 by Dr Gerry Keown. Filed under Conditions
Headaches are one of the most common and disabling conditions. They can interfere in all aspects of life, including work, family life, social life, relationships, sleep, mood, sport and exercise, and hobbies.
There are hundreds of different headaches, but the three most common are:
- Tension-type headache (commonly called a tension headache)
- Cervicogenic headache
- Migraine
We’ll look at each of these headaches in the next few posts, and today we’ll start with the most common headache in the world:
The Tension headache
What causes Tension Headaches?
Tension headaches are rated in the top 5 of all disabling conditions in the world, and are the most common neurologic disorder. It used to be thought that they were caused by muscle tension, which is where the name came from, but research has shown that even though muscle tension is common with these headaches, it doesn’t actually cause them.
So what does cause them?
No one knows. Science hasn’t been able to identify the cause, but they are commonly triggered by stress, poor sleep and prolonged work postures, like sitting at a computer for hours every day.
What do they feel like?
- Commonly described as tightness or pressing over both temples, the forehead and back of the head
- The pain is moderately severe but dull and diffuse. It’s not a throbbing pain
- You may people experience mild nausea
- You may be sensitive to light or loud sounds, but not both
- They last from 30 minutes up to seven days
- They don’t respond well to medications. Pain killers and anti-inflammatories have no effect, or only minimal effect at best.
How are they treated?
Research has shown that these headaches respond well to a combination of manual treatments, such as chiropractic, osteopathy, and myotherapy and massage. The aim is to get you out of pain as quickly as possible and to give you exercises, and lifestyle and occupational strategies to reduce recurrence.
References
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders
Dr Gerard Keown started practice in 1997 as a remedial massage therapist and went on to complete his Bachelor of Health Science as a Naturopath in 2003, before finally completing a Masters Degree in Chiropractic at Macquarie University in 2010.